Community Capital Infrastructure Projects (Our Project)
Our Project - Proposal Form
Once you have discussed your project idea with your community group and have agreement from your group committee, complete the Our Project - Proposal Form.
Our Project - Proposal Form
Background
The Mornington Peninsula community has a tradition of self-help and self-reliance and this continues in a number of ways. Service clubs, sporting clubs and other special interest groups have consistently contributed to the community by raising funds for the establishment and improvement of facilities throughout the Shire.
What is Community Capital Infrastructure?
There are many examples where community groups and individuals have taken up the challenge of providing and enhancing community assets and amenity. The weekend working bee is a staple activity for many sporting clubs and other community organisations seeking to get the most out of the skills and abilities of members in maintaining and improving public spaces and facilities that they and the broader community use and value.
Why undertake a Community Capital Infrastructure Project?
Benefits and Obligations
There are two major reasons for encouraging community help for the development of community infrastructure projects:
- The social benefit that participants gain from being involved in a community project
- Financial benefit
Social benefits include:
- Drawing the community together to build social capital (community cohesion and resilience)
- Engaging the community in the project to ensure that what is to be delivered will be what they want to use
- Engendering a sense of ‘community ownership’ (including discouraging others from damaging it)
- Fostering skills within the community (to the extent that this is possible)
Financial benefits include:
- Delivering a project sooner than it would be delivered if it waits its turn for full funding via Council’s budget process
- Achieving an overall lower project cost by using voluntary labour (and possibly donated materials and services)
Why does Council need to be involved in the planning, design and delivery?
A project may require a range of statutory and other approvals before works can commence. Typically, planning permits and building permits will be required for any works on Council land or assets. In some cases, other approvals such as heritage permits, cultural heritage approvals and Coastal Management Act consents may be required. Statutory approvals generally require detailed plans and in many cases supporting expert reports to be submitted as part of an application. The costs associated with obtaining these approvals can be significant and unless Council is supporting an application these costs may be wasted.
Given the complexity of legislative and other statutory requirements it is essential that appropriate protocols and guidelines are in place to protect the interests of the Shire, community groups and individuals involved in projects.
How to go about undertaking a Community Capital Infrastructure Project
Once you have discussed your project idea with your community group and have agreement from your group committee, complete the Our Project - Proposal Form.
Our Project - Proposal Form
Community Capital Infrastructure Policy
The policy, protocols and guidelines set out in the Community Capital Infrastructure Policy will assist community groups to propose and undertake projects with confidence and clarity about the requirements and obligations that must be met.
Download: Community Capital Infrastructure Policy(PDF, 4MB)
If you have any questions or to find out more about Community Capital Infrastructure Projects, please email ourproject@mornpen.vic.gov.au