Wodonga Council presented the Draft Gateway Lakes Master Plan to the community for feedback between November 22 and December 12, 2023.

Since then, council officers have reviewed and considered the feedback recieved before finalising the document.

Detailed written submissions were received by the Gateway Lakes User Group Wodonga and the Dragon Boat clubs using the lake. The key themes raised included the following.

Club Data Updates

• A range of minor updates to wording and data of the sporting clubs using the lake were received and information updated in the final copy of the plan.

Expanding Lake

• Expanding the size of the lake was again strongly raised by the lake user groups. However, as the remaining water bodies are under a long-term lease for the quarry, any future expansion of the lake was considered outside the scope of this masterplan – which focusses on the next 10 years. The masterplan recommends “that council continues to liaise with the current Lessee of the quarry with respect to their future operational plans and that refinements be made to the masterplan to reflect these plans as appropriate”).

Infrastructure

• Storage: User groups were in favour of the proposed enhanced facilities and storage, however there were differing opinions on the correct location and make up of these facilities. The master plan only references investigating opportunities for 'common' sports clubhouse and storage. The details around the exact location and type of facilities to be included will come in the planning and design phase of the project, of which the user groups will be heavily involved.
• Road sealing and re-alignment: Feedback from clubs was supportive of the future sealing of Lemke Road but also suggested the council investigate moving the road itself further Northwest. The relocating of the road was considered outside the scope and budget of the master plan so no further changes to the master plan were made.
• Natural aesthetics / concrete interface and design: Feedback from one club was received relating to the concrete and asphalt present in design images at the back of the master plan. These images however are for indicative purposes only and show a suggested balance between natural and formal design as a way to improve access for all abilities.

The full Engagement Snapshot is avalable here.

The updated master plan was presented to the council at it's meeting on Monday, May 20, 2024.

The Gateway Lakes Master Plan has been adopted.

The Gateway Lakes Master Plan is now available on Wodonga Council's website here.