We are liaising with the North East Link Project (NELP) Authority and the State Government on all aspects of the project, including sports and recreation improvements, tree revegetation plans and traffic management outcomes amongst many other opportunities and impacts.
We will continue to represent our community’s interests during the detailed design process.
Since 2017, we've been fighting hard to protect our community and environment.
In addition to meeting with NELP on a regular basis, Officers have participated in the Community Liaison Group and Bulleen Industrial Zone Liaison Group. Regular meetings and correspondence has been held with local, state and federal Members of Parliament.
Council held a community information session to discuss the proposed four route options of the NEL.
Council officers reviewed the preparation of the initial draft EES by participating in the Technical Reference Group. They actively met with community members, businesses and sporting groups to understand the community views and impacts of the project.
The NELP authority released the EES documents for public exhibition. Council officers reviewed over 14,000 pages in order to prepare a concise submission on behalf of residents, businesses and the community.
Council endorsed the North East Link Issues and Opportunities report. The report provides 19 recommendations to ensure the project minimises the impact and delivers a benefit to the community. This report was submitted to NELP to consider as part of the projects planning and design phase.
A community information session provided an overview of the NEL impacts and Council’s draft EES submission. Residents were assisted in preparing their own EES response.
Council made a Public Environment Report (PER) submission to the Federal Environment Minister in relation to threatened species identified in NEL project area.
Council endorsed the Yarra River Corridor Concept Plan. The plan presents a vision for the open space and recreational facilities along the NEL Corridor. This plan was presented to NELP and various State Government Departments.
Council made a submission to the NEL (EES) on behalf of the community.
Detailed legal submissions were presented at the Inquiry and Advisory Committee (IAC) Panel Hearings. The issues highlighted in Council’s Environment Effects Statement (EES) submission were expanded on at the hearing.
A joint closing submission was presented by Manningham, Banyule, Boroondara and Whitehorse Councils to the North East Link project’s IAC panel.
A feasibility study was announced to investigate if land at 2 – 14 Websters Rd, Templestowe could be used as a future employment precinct for Bulleen Industrial Precinct businesses.
Council unanimously agreed to seek a judicial review into the Inquiry and Advisory Committee (IAC) hearing process and the Minister’s assessment of the North East Link (NEL) Environment Effects Statement (EES). We believed the reference design did not provide enough certainty about the impacts it had on our community.
Council held a Community Information Session to provide an update on the next steps and how Council is working to achieve the best outcomes. The session was live streamed and can be viewed online.
Council reached an agreement with the Victorian Government and withdrew from the NEL judicial review process. Following constructive and rigorous negotiations, we felt our concerns around the NEL reference design have been substantially addressed.
The North East Link Program is fixing the missing link in Melbourne’s freeway network from the M80 Ring Road to an upgraded Eastern Freeway.
The North East Link Tunnels from Watsonia to Bulleen are on public exhibition from Wednesday 11 May until 5.00pm on Tuesday 31 May 2022.
The Urban Design and Landscape Plan shows designs for the North East Link Tunnels from Watsonia to Bulleen including new parklands, walking and cycling paths, improvements to local roads and Eastern Freeway upgrades in Bulleen and Balwyn North.
See the plan online and make a submission online or visit a display and talk with the North East Link team.
Veneto Club
191 Bulleen Road, Bulleen
Saturday 14 May, 10.00am to 2.00pm
Saturday 21 May, 10.00am to 2.00pm
Saturday 28 May, 10.00am to 2.00pm
Watsonia Community Hub
17 Watsonia Road, Watsonia
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Fridays 10.00am to 5.00pm
Thursdays, 10.00am to 7.00pm
Saturday, 10.00am to 2.00pm
Fact sheets and an interactive map are also available:
You may also visit the following locations for a copy of the factsheets and to view the Urban Design and Landscape Plan.
Andersons Creek North Reserve is located on the corner of Heidelberg-Warrandyte Road and Harris Gully Road around the Country Fire Authority (CFA) building. A pedestrian path links Goldfields Shopping Centre and Warrandyte Reserve, and east to Gold Memorial Drive and Warrandyte State Park beyond.
The dominant features of the Reserve are Andersons Creek and its native vegetation values (Fourth Hill Biosite11 in Council’s Healthy Habitats Bushland Management Strategy 2012).
Have you noticed something unsafe like a broken tree branch or damaged playground that needs our attention?
Some types of events, such as festivals or school's cross country runs need a special permission to be held on public land.
Council continues to advocate for the best possible outcomes to protect and enhance Manningham’s environment, industrial business precinct, recreational facilities and amenity.
Council held a community information session on Wednesday 29 May, 2019 to provide an update on the impacts for Manningham and share the draft EES submission. Residents also had the opportunity to find out more about preparing and finalising their own EES responses.
View Council’s submission to North East Link Environment Effects Statement (EES) in the Council Agenda - Special Council Meeting 4 June 2019
Council has prepared a submission in response to the EES and residents are encouraged to make a submission to ensure their voice is heard. View Council’s submission to North East Link Environment Effects Statement (EES) in the Council Agenda - Special Council Meeting 4 June 2019
In addition, Council endorsed the Yarra River Corridor Concept Plan in February 2019. The plan presents a vision for the open space and recreational facilities along the North East Link Corridor. This plan has been presented to North East Link and various State Government Departments.
In 2018 Council endorsed the North East Link Issues and Opportunities paper.
The Council report was submitted to NELP to consider as part of the projects planning and design phase. The report provides 19 recommendations which focus on achieving a net benefit to our community.
The identified opportunities relate to transport improvements including:
It also identifies opportunities to support:
Key to this, is to enhance key areas along the NEL alignment including:
A community forum was held by Council in September 2017 to inform its initial North East Link Manningham Council Submission. Based on this submission, Council passed a resolution on the North East Link at its Council meeting on 26 September.
We’re continuing to advocate for the best outcome for our community in regards to the North East Link (NEL) project.
In February, Council unanimously agreed to seek a judicial review into the Inquiry and Advisory Committee (IAC) Environment Effects Statement (EES) hearing process and the Minister’s assessment of the EES. The Directions Hearing for the Supreme Court challenge is scheduled for 24 April, and the Supreme Court hearing will be later in the year.
Irrespective of this, we will continue to work constructively with NELP and the State Government to ensure the interest of our community remains at the forefront of any discussions.
NEL early works are being delivered by PCB Contractors with underground works and site investigations such as borehole drilling to occur throughout the proposed alignment. Residents may notice access pits and launch shafts in the Bulleen area. Any concerns about early works should be directed to NELP by contacting their hotline on 1800 105 105.
In late 2020, the contractor for the construction of the North East Link will be announced. We will work with this contractor to help influence the final design and advocate for the commitments we have asked for to offset the impacts of the project.
Construction of the new tunnels is expected to commence in 2021 and works to the Eastern Freeway are anticipated to start from 2023.
Find out more and stay up to date on our advocacy work.
View a video of our recent North East Link community information forum held in March 2020.
Manningham residents, businesses and community groups were well represented at the joint Inquiry and Advisory Committee (IAC) Directions Hearing on the North East Link (NEL) Environment Effects Statement (EES) today.
Manningham Mayor, Cr Paula Piccinini congratulated the community for showing their support by attending the Directions Hearing.
“People are passionate about protecting Manningham – they’re worried about the social, environmental and economic impacts the North East Link will have on our community,” she said.
“Manningham will be the most impacted municipality with seven years of construction, homes lost, 1,200 jobs gone and our industrial business precinct erased. The needs of our community and surrounding environment must be considered, before, during and after construction.
“It was good that people had the opportunity to ask questions about the Public Hearings and find out what they can expect when presenting on their concerns.”
The next step in the process is individuals who provided an EES submission will have the opportunity to talk about the impacts to them at the Public Hearings. The hearings will be held from 25 July 2019 at The Veneto Club, Bulleen for approximately seven weeks.
Council’s legal representatives, Harwood Andrews will present on Council’s EES submission, providing detailed information and robust data to highlight the specific impacts to Manningham.
To ensure the best outcomes, Council officers have collaborated with neighbouring municipalities to represent communities along the interfacing boundaries of local government areas. Work has been undertaken together on projects impacting Bulleen Park, Koonung Creek and the Yarra River corridors.
“While we have been working with neighbouring Councils and share common concerns, we do have some significantly differing views relating to Manningham’s open space.
“Where appropriate we will continue to work with other Councils. Most importantly, we will keep fighting for the best possible outcome for our community,” she said.
Manningham Council has reached an agreement with the Victorian Government and the North East Link Project (NELP) and has withdrawn from the judicial review process.
Following constructive, rigorous negotiations, our concerns around the North East Link (NEL) reference design have been substantially addressed.
We commenced legal action because we believed the reference design did not provide enough certainty about the impacts it had on our community.
With a signed agreement from NELP now in place, we will have more input into the process and will be meaningfully consulted on the works and designs, and so we are satisfied that the concerns of our community have been listened to.
By participating in the judicial review process and as a result of our strong community advocacy, we have been able to negotiate key outcomes and significant projects for the benefit of our community including:
We are finalising the legal process and more information will be forthcoming.
Proposed plans released for North East Link
The North East Link Authority (NELA) has recently released more detailed plans for the proposed North East Link.
These plans include additional lanes at the Eastern Freeway interchange in Doncaster, additional bus laneways as well as information on how impacts to noise and recreational spaces will be managed during construction and in the longer term.
Manningham Mayor, Cr Andrew Conlon said that while Council welcomes the proposed express lanes for bus services he had reservations over the increased number of lanes on the Eastern Freeway and its impact on open spaces, traffic and noise.
“Consultation with our residents highlighted that they were most concerned by the introduction of toll roads, protecting parklands and local amenity as well as impacts from traffic and noise pollution.
“While we support any efforts that will reduce noise impacts on our residents, we do share concerns around how open spaces and recreational spaces will be affected by the North East Link, including the Koonung Creek corridor.
“We are reviewing these plans to understand how they are likely to affect our residents and will continue to advocate on the issues our residents have told us are a priority for them”, he said.
Cr Conlon said they will also be working with the NELA to minimise impacts to local businesses affected in the Bulleen/Banksia Industrial Precinct and make sure that the local economy and employment in this area are considered.
Manningham Council would encourage everyone to view the NELA’s proposed plans and provide their feedback at the NELA’s upcoming drop in sessions. Details can be found on the NELA’s website, northeastlink.vic.gov.au
Council unanimously agreed to seek a judicial review into the Inquiry and Advisory Committee (IAC) hearing process and the Minister’s assessment of the North East Link (NEL) Environment Effects Statement (EES). Along with Banyule, Whitehorse and Boroondara Councils we want to know if the NEL reports and decisions were lawful.
Council believes that the EES process should have been more rigorous and based upon a detailed design, not a concept.
Manningham Mayor, Cr Paul McLeish said there were many questions about the approval of the NEL design and its impacts that still remain unanswered.
“The proposed reference design does not convey the full impacts of the project on our community and environment. An artist’s impression is not a detailed design, and does not represent what lies ahead.
“The project concept still leaves much to be determined – so much of the impact on our community remains unknown with the decisions to be made at a later date by a consortium that hasn’t yet been awarded a contract.
“A greater level of clarity is required from the North East Link Project (NELP) Authority about what will and won’t be included in the project.
“There is still no certainty on the outcome for the 1200 jobs that may go at the Bulleen Industrial Precinct. The future of our community's parkland, sporting grounds and open spaces is still unknown with no guarantees on how and when they’ll be addressed.
“We believe it is in the best interest of our community, businesses and environment to challenge the NEL EES process with a judicial review.
“We consider a judicial review a necessary investment to ensure the best outcome for our community and environment. Council takes its role in advocating on behalf of the community very seriously and we want the best outcome for our community.”
Areas where Manningham wants to see improvement in the NEL project:
This decision to commence a judicial inquiry is in line with Council’s motion of 26 September 2017, where Council resolved to support the North East Link proposal in principle.
Council did not support the selected ‘Option A’ route through Bulleen, until further information was provided to Council, in order to understand the impact and implications of the proposal. This has not been forthcoming though the EES process and Minister’s assessment.
Manningham Council is reviewing the Planning Minister’s response to the Inquiry and Advisory Committee’s (IAC Panel) assessment of the Environment Effects Statement (EES) for the North East Link project, both released today.
Manningham Mayor, Cr Paul McLeish said Council had been working since 2017 to advocate for the best outcome for the community in regards to Victoria’s largest ever road project.
“In November 2017, the Victorian Government decided on ‘Option A’ through Bulleen. We’ve made a major commitment of resources on behalf of our community to present to both the Government and the IAC our many concerns with the significant impacts of this project.
“The Planning Minister’s report and the Panel’s assessment provides more detail on the way forward for our residents and businesses. We are currently reviewing these detailed documents to determine how our advocacy requests have been addressed. We will provide a comprehensive update on how this will impact Manningham shortly,” Cr McLeish said.
Manningham will be one of the most impacted municipalities with seven years of construction, acquisition of homes and businesses and the loss of over 1,200 jobs from the Bulleen industrial precinct.
Detailed legal submissions were presented by Council’s legal team at the Inquiry and Advisory Committee Panel Hearings throughout July to September 2019. During this process, Council strongly advocated for the following outcomes:
A large part of the Koonung Creek Linear Park and creek corridor will be occupied for construction activities and compounds for up to 6 years. Covering and shading sections of the creek will degrade and potentially destroy the aquatic habitat and create additional barriers to fish passage. Up to 15,800 trees will be removed and an additional 10,000 trees affected. Open spaces at Bulleen Park will be diminished and a 40 metre ventilation stack will tower over Bulleen Park.
The historic 300 year old River Red Gum on Bridge Street in Bulleen is in the direct line of NEL and must be protected. This tree is a local landmark, pre-dates European settlement and is an important example of our environmental heritage.
Residents in Estelle Street, Bulleen will lose the reserve opposite their homes. This large green space will become a construction site, with a 10 metre high noise wall to then be constructed with a 20 lane freeway behind it. The expanded freeway will bring more noise and pollution and the sound wall will close residents in. We believe this footprint for the construction activities is excessive and should be scaled back.
Manningham Council is pleased to provide more detail on the negotiated outcomes that led to the withdrawal from the judicial review process.
Manningham Mayor, Cr Paul McLeish said Council advocated strongly to minimise the impacts on the community and improve consultation by working constructively with the Victorian Government.
“We negotiated in good faith with the Victorian Government and the North East Link Project (NELP) to the point where many of our concerns have been addressed.
“We have more certainty following an agreement from NELP that we will have more input into the process and will be meaningfully consulted on the works and designs.
“The uncertainty around the reference design has now been addressed as we will meet with the construction contractor and have enhanced avenues to provide feedback to the Planning Minister prior to the works being delivered.
“Once the construction contractor has been appointed, we will be briefed and given an opportunity to comment on the ultimate design.
“This means we will have more active engagement opportunities to review and comment on relevant matters that impact our community and environment.
“This agreement goes above and beyond the normal consultation requirements of any of the conditions of the project approval and will benefit those residents most impacted along with the whole community.
“We protected open space at Bulleen Park with no expansion of the golf course into Bulleen Park. The archery and aero-modellers clubs will remain at Bulleen Park and continue to enjoy all their sport and social connections,” he said.
Cr McLeish said the judicial review process was a necessary investment to ensure the best outcome for the community and environment.
“We commenced legal action because we believed the reference design didn’t provide enough certainty. We now have many more answers and this agreement provides a greater level of clarity and ability to influence the final design.
“However, we acknowledge the NEL will still have significant impacts, with seven years of construction and the widening of the Eastern Freeway. With a project of this size not all our concerns could be alleviated through this process and we will continue to work with the North East Link Project to minimise impacts and improve amenity.
“We worked hard to find a suitable relocation site for the impacted Bulleen Industrial Precinct businesses. Unfortunately this could not be achieved given the complexities and timeframes and this remains a significant concern for Council.”
By participating in the judicial review process we have been able to negotiate certainty on key outcomes and significant projects for the benefit of our community including:
The North East Link Project will soon start tunnelling activities at Trinity Grammar School’s Marles Playing Fields in Bulleen.
CPB Contractors will start tunnelling activities at the playing fields from Wednesday 24 February 2021 to support construction of the Yarra East Main Sewer (YEMS).
For full deatils, see the
Relocation of close to 100 above and underground services such as power, water, gas, sewerage and telecommunications is happening to make way for North East Link.
For more information on the North East Link construction works, visit the North East Link Project website.
Find out more about what Council is doing in response to the North East Link.
Manningham residents, businesses and community groups were well represented at the joint Inquiry and Advisory Committee (IAC) Directions Hearing on the North East Link (NEL) Environment Effects Statement (EES) today.
Manningham Mayor, Cr Paula Piccinini congratulated the community for showing their support by attending the Directions Hearing.
“People are passionate about protecting Manningham – they’re worried about the social, environmental and economic impacts the North East Link will have on our community,” she said.
“Manningham will be the most impacted municipality with seven years of construction, homes lost, 1,200 jobs gone and our industrial business precinct erased. The needs of our community and surrounding environment must be considered, before, during and after construction.
“It was good that people had the opportunity to ask questions about the Public Hearings and find out what they can expect when presenting on their concerns.”
The next step in the process is individuals who provided an EES submission will have the opportunity to talk about the impacts to them at the Public Hearings. The hearings will be held from 25 July 2019 at The Veneto Club, Bulleen for approximately seven weeks.
Council’s legal representatives, Harwood Andrews will present on Council’s EES submission, providing detailed information and robust data to highlight the specific impacts to Manningham.
To ensure the best outcomes, Council officers have collaborated with neighbouring municipalities to represent communities along the interfacing boundaries of local government areas. Work has been undertaken together on projects impacting Bulleen Park, Koonung Creek and the Yarra River corridors.
“While we have been working with neighbouring Council’s and share common concerns, we do have some significantly differing views relating to Manningham’s open space.
“Where appropriate we will continue to work with other Councils. Most importantly, we will keep fighting for the best possible outcome for our community,” she said.
To find out more about what Manningham Council is doing around the North East Link project visit: manningham.vic.gov.au/NEL
The North East Link Project will be closing Avon Street in Bulleen to establish a work site for the project.
As part of these works, CPB Contractors will be closing Avon Street at the intersection with Bulleen Road to establish a work site, before construction of the Yarra East Main Sewer, from Monday 22 February 2021.
For full details, see the
Relocation of close to 100 above and underground services such as power, water, gas, sewerage and telecommunications is underway to make way for North East Link.
For more information on the North East Link construction works, visit the North East Link Project website.
Find out more about what Council is doing in response to the North East Link.
Manningham Council is supporting the community by providing a submission to the North East Link Tunnel Urban Design Landscape Plan (UDLP).
We do not object to the UDLP, but will seek to provide recommendations throughout the submission that aim to improve the overall design and net community benefit for Manningham residents.
Our detailed submission focuses on key areas across:
We lodged our submission in June 2022. For more information, please download the Urban Design and Landscape Plan Submission.
Planning Panels Victoria has released the schedule for the North East Link (NEL) project Inquiry and Advisory Committee (IAC) public hearings and Manningham Council will make an opening statement on Friday 26 July and detailed statements from 8 to 13 August 2019.
Manningham is the most impacted community by the NEL. Law firm, Harwood Andrews will represent the needs of the Manningham community and fight for fair and just outcomes as a result of this project.
Manningham Mayor, Cr Paula Piccinini said, “The NELP authority has promised there would be no net loss to Manningham’s land and they will make every effort to reduce the negative impacts of this project on our community.
“Our job at the public hearing is to outline all of the project impacts on our community and our expectations around mitigation. We want to see fair compensation for affected residents and business owners, no net loss of land, open space and recreational opportunities and minimal disruption to our local sporting communities.”
With over 850 submissions to the NEL Environment Effects Statement (EES), the response rate is one of the highest in Victorian infrastructure project history.
Cr Piccinini said, “The huge number of responses to the EES shows our community deeply cares about the impacts of the North East Link project and having their voice heard is important to them.”
During the public hearings a number of impacted groups and residents will have just 10 minutes to present their case to the panel.
“10 minutes isn’t a huge amount of time to tell the panel how this project could change your life, your home and your community. For this reason we take our role in advocating on behalf of the Manningham community very seriously. We’ve engaged the best in the business in terms of our legal representation and they will leave no stone unturned in representing Manningham’s specific needs,” Cr Piccinini said.
Where appropriate, Manningham Council will continue to work with other Councils on shared concerns such as impacted residents along the interfacing boundaries and areas that must be protected like the Bolin Bolin Billabong.
”For us it is a very considered decision to run our own separate legal counsel. The impact of this project on our community has varied, complicated and far reaching consequences. The priority is ensuring the needs of our residents are represented with an unwavering focus,” said Cr Piccinini.
To find out more about what Manningham Council is doing around the North East Link project visit: manningham.vic.gov.au/NEL.
The North East Link Project will be closing Avon Street in Bulleen to establish a work site for the project.
The date for the road closure has recently changed and concrete barriers will be placed along Bulleen Road to close the intersection overnight on Friday 9 April 2021. A temporary speed reduction of 40kmh will be in place during these works. For more information see
Relocation of close to 100 above and underground services such as power, water, gas, sewerage and telecommunications is underway to make way for North East Link.
For more information on the North East Link construction works, visit the North East Link Project website.
Find out more about what Council is doing in response to the North East Link.
Doncaster Hill is a sustainable, high density, mixed-use village that provides for high quality urban living.
Located in the heart of Doncaster, Victoria, approximately 12kms from Melbourne's Central Business District.
An activity centre for our community.
We’re continuing to update Doncaster Hill to improve the way our community lives, works and enjoys this neighbourhood.
These works form a part of our infrastructure planning for this area and the long standing Doncaster Hill Strategy.
The concept design for Hepburn Reserve has been developed in response to community feedback and will include outdoor seating, a BBQ area, a drinking fountain, public art, large open lawn areas, a playspace, nature play, canopy tree planting, bike hoops and more.
This small local open space was upgraded in November 2019 to December 2020
New U-turn lane on Tram Road
Pedestrian signals at the Applewood Retirement Village
Extension to Hepburn Road
Tram Road and Merlin Street intersection traffic lights
With populations on the rise in Melbourne, Doncaster Hill is one of our solutions to meet the challenge of future housing needs. This modern urban village allows those of us who enjoy to live in the suburbs to continue to do so, whilst providing apartment-style living for others.
The Doncaster Hill Strategy helps guide us on the land use and development in this centre.
Many bus routes that are provided by Public Transport Victoria (PTV) travel through Doncaster Hill.
View the routes and timetables of the following bus services:
SmartBus
Local services
In addition to bus services, we are strongly advocating for alternate public transport options with the State Government:
Find out why we are reviewing our strategic vision
Use this toolkit to assist your developments in Doncaster Hill
Advocacy is an important way for us to provide a voice for the community on issues that matter.
We are advocating to influence state and federal governments to fund important priority projects around planning, transport, infrastructure and services.
The North East Link is Victoria's largest road project. The needs of our community and surrounding environment must be considered, before, during and after construction.
We're advocating for a Doncaster Station to be included in the first phase of construction of the Suburban Rail Loop.
We are seeking increased local access to youth mental health services in Manningham. We support the delivery of a headspace facility to meet demand and create meaningful impacts.
We welcome the announcement of funding for a service and will continue to advocate for local delivery.
We are seeking additional stimulus funding to registered housing services to work in partnerships with other councils to support vulnerable residents, particularly those with a disability.
5 Ways has been the site of a number vehicle crashes and incidents. We are concerned about the ongoing safety issues associated with this intersection and continue to urge DoT to undertake improvements.
We are seeking accelerated funding by State Government for more bus services to meet growing demand and infrastructure improvements to improve the reliability and frequency of the local bus network. Key to this, is larger capacity buses and more services during peak periods to be provided on the Doncaster Area Rapid Transit (DART) SmartBus network.
We are also advocating for the implementation of a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) connection between the CBD and Doncaster as part of the North East Link Doncaster Busway project.
We will continue to advocate for a heavy rail line between the CBD and Doncaster. We are strongly advocating to ensure that the North East Link project preserves a future alignment for Doncaster Rail, and that the design of the Doncaster Busway is delivered in a manner that allows it to be transitioned to heavy rail, once buses the bus system reaches capacity.
Improved transport infrastructure through Doncaster Hill will unlock and complement regional opportunities for improved access to jobs, educational and health facilities and to other community and social services.
