By Alesha Capone
Wyndham council will ask the state government for $3.22 million from the Growing Suburbs Fund to contribute towards two local projects.
The Growing Suburbs Fund (GSF) aims to help councils in Melbourne’s fast-growing outer suburbs to build critical infrastructure.
The program is overseen by the Minister for Local Government and administered by the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP).
Wyndham council last month voted to request $2.5 million from the GSF’s 2020-21 funding pool to put towards the construction of an integrated family centre with community rooms, open space, sports pavilions and other infrastructure in Tarneit’s north.
The overall cost of the project, which will be funded by the council, is $26.41 million.
The council will also request $721,000 from the GSF to help complete missing links in Wyndham’s network of shared walking and cycling paths. The total cost of this project is $1.72 million.
To be eligible for funding in the GSF’s 2020-21 round, projects must be ready to commence construction within six months of a grant being announced, and must be completed within one year from the start of construction.
This year, the GSF funding pool has decreased to $25 million, compared to the $50 million on offer last year.
The funding will also be shared among 16 council areas, up from 10 municipalities last year.
Since the GSF began in 2015-16, Wyndham has been allocated more than $25 million.
