Pathways to be renewed as Riverfront Activation gets underway

Published on 26 February 2021

Works on Horsham’s much anticipated Riverfront Activation will officially start later this year, with the renewal of 1.1 kilometres of shared pathway the first project to come to fruition.

Horsham Rural City Council has successfully applied for Sustainability Victoria funding to upgrade the entire stretch of path from Horsham City Rowing Club to the Wimmera Bridge.

The jointly funded $241,670 project will also see new park benches and bin surrounds installed along the foreshore, with works scheduled for late 2021.

Mayor Robyn Gulline thanked Sustainability Victoria for its contributed and said the project was the first time Council had used a recycled product on a large scale.

“We are confident that the recycled rubber/asphalt material will have a similar cost structure to traditional asphalt, but have the added benefit of being longer wearing and suitable for our local conditions,” Cr Gulline said.

“The recycled composite furniture will also be stronger, longer lasting and easier to maintain than natural timber.

“Council also anticipates that the project will provide future cost savings in terms of asset replacement costs and repairs,” she said.

The Riverfront Activation Project is the first stage of the City to River Masterplan, a 20-year plan which aims to enhance and activate the Wimmera River Precinct and its link to the Central Activity District of Horsham.

“The entire $3million Riverfront Activation project will provide enormous economic and social benefits to Horsham, creating a new destination space in central Horsham along the Wimmera River foreshore,” Cr Gulline said.

“These types of upgrades along the foreshore will be done first because they were most popular during the consultation process, with the Community Reference Group and the general public expressing high levels of support for the riverfront improvement concepts. 

“The riverfront precinct is clearly visible to the 6,000 plus vehicles travelling through Horsham daily on the highway. The aim of this project is to attract more of these visitors to stay and play a little longer in Horsham and the Wimmera region,” she said.

If the recycled products used are as successful as hoped, Council’s Infrastructure Team will look to invest more regularly in the new technology.

“Council's greatest area of expenditure lies in roads and paths throughout our municipality, and there is certainly scope to increase the use of suitable, tried and tested recyclable products,” Cr Gulline said.

“Learnings from this project, will be shared across the Infrastructure Team who are responsible for delivering these types of projects in the future.”

This project is supported by the Victorian Government through Sustainability Victoria’s Sustainable Infrastructure Fund.