Erskine River Master Plan

The Erskine River Master Plan establishes a long-term vision to guide the future use and development of the Swing Bridge Cafe Precinct and Erskine Paddock Landscape Plan in Lorne over the next ten years.

The Great Ocean Road Coast Committee has committed $200,000 in 2018-19 to upgrade the Erskine River Precinct. The Erskine River Projects are comprised of two elements, the Erskine Paddock Landscape Plan and the Swing Bridge Cafe Precinct Project.

The Swing Bridge Cafe precinct incorporates the southern bank of the Erskine River, Swing Bridge Café and is bounded to the east by Louttit Bay ocean beach and to the south by Erskine Paddock. This zone forms an important pedestrian link across the iconic Swing Bridge and along the beach connecting North Lorne to Lorne Central.

Background

In 2014 the Erskine River Precinct Master Plan established a long-term vision to guide the future use and development of the Erskine River Precinct in Lorne over the next ten years. The plan incorporated three phases of community consultation and feedback from other stakeholders.

Next steps

Works are scheduled to commence to re-develop the Swing Bridge precinct after Easter 2019. Erskine Paddock landscape plan is currently being finalised ahead of community consultation prior to any re-development works.

Project details

Erskine Paddock Landscape Plan

This project arose through a group of concerned Lorne community members – primarily parents using the Erskine Paddock playground and surrounding area with their children.

Due to the poor view lines and numerous hiding places around the site’s perimeter, community members were concerned about children’s safety in the heavily treed area.

The draft concept aims to maintain open space and the existing landscape character, consistent with the Erskine River Precinct Master Plan, but also update/improve this local park area for daily use.

Some of the proposed elements include:

Replacing the ageing play equipment and old bike path with nature based play features
Installing new BBQ, picnic and other seating
Landscaping around the perimeter

Swing Bridge Precinct Project

The Swing Bridge Precinct Project aims to deliver Actions E3-E5 from the Erskine River Precinct Master Plan to Zone E (pg 29 of the master plan).

The plan aims to maintain/increase the current number of parking spaces and separate vehicles from pedestrians along the busy section of the vehicle turn around near Swing Bridge.

The landscape plan will provide further public amenity through the use of reconfigured picnic tables, additional seating, opening up river views and intermittent planting.