Hepburn Shire Council has opened consultation on its draft Road Management Plan 2025–2029, inviting the community to have its say on how the Shire’s roads and footpaths are maintained over the next four years.

The review comes just weeks after the release of the 2025 Community Satisfaction Survey, which showed that road maintenance was among the lowest-rated areas of Council performance. In the survey, residents ranked the condition of sealed and unsealed roads alongside planning permits as the lowest areas of satisfaction.

Mayor Cr Don Henderson said the Road Management Plan is a key tool for addressing those concerns.

“The draft Road Management Plan outlines how Council manages and maintains over 1,400 kilometres of local roads across the Shire, including footpaths and roadside infrastructure,” Cr Henderson said. “We know the community has identified roads as a priority issue, so I strongly encourage residents to take part in this consultation process.”

The Plan sets out:

  • Council’s responsibilities under the Road Management Act 2004
  • How road and footpath assets are managed
  • Inspection and maintenance schedules
  • Intervention levels and response times for defects

Cr Henderson said the Plan has implications for all road users. “Our roads and footpaths are a vital part of community life. The review is about ensuring we deliver safe and efficient infrastructure that meets the needs of drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, public transport users and people using mobility aids,” he said.

The review applies to local roads only. Roads managed by other agencies such as the Department of Transport and Planning, Parks Victoria and VicRoads are not included.

The community has made its views on this aspect of Council performance abundantly clear in the Community Satisfaction Surveys in recent years. This is an opportunity for community members to provide some clear and explicit direction to Council about the road ahead.

Comment on the draft plan can be made through the Participate Hepburn website until Friday 19 September 2025. The page includes the Draft Road Management plan as well as copies of the Public Roads Register and the Public Footpaths Register.

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Survey Shows Mixed Results for Hepburn Shire Council as Community Satisfaction Slips

This article is based on a media release from Hepburn Shire Council.