Winchelsea Greening and Stormwater Treatment

Completion Date31 October 2025

Updated July 2025

Work on the Winchelsea Greening and Stormwater Treatment Project is planned to start mid-August, 2025.

The project will include planting of 33 trees on nature strips in Hesse and Armytage streets, each with individual drainage systems fed by stormwater runoff.

The plantings will create greener, cooler streets, and installation of the drainage systems will filter and improve the quality of stormwater running into the Barwon River.

They will also help reduce runoff volume and erosion.

Plans for the project have been reviewed and updated following consultation with residents.

Council is now checking back in with residents on the updated designs.

Work is expected to be complete late October.

The 33 trees will be Urbanite Ash, chosen for suitability and resilience as street trees, with low attraction to corellas and cockatoos.

The Greening and Stormwater Project emerged from the Winchelsea Integrated Water Management Plan and aligns with and supports Growing Winchelsea’s community vision.

It will also include installation of a gross pollutant trap on the south side of Main Street, which will help prevent street litter from entering the drainage system.

Council appreciates funding from the Victorian Government’s Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action enabling delivery of the project.

Background

Council endorsed a Winchelsea Integrated Water Management Plan in 2019, after an engagement process with the local community.

The plan aligns with and supports Growing Winchelsea’s community vision for the town.

The ‘Winchelsea Greening and Stormwater Treatment’ project aims to:

Create greener and cooler streets, contributing to a better place to live.
Improve stormwater quality discharging to the Barwon River.
Reduce the amount of water draining into the river, helping to reduce erosion on the riverbank.

How the system will work

Each tree will be installed with its own drainage system directly underneath.

Stormwater will run off the street, into the drainage system under each tree.

This will mean the tree is watered (enabling it to stay healthy), and that stormwater is both filtered as it passes through, and reduced in volume before it runs into the main drainage line.

The outcome of this will be less water draining into the Barwon River – reducing erosion on the riverbank – while the water that does drain into the river will be of a higher quality.

The other aspect of the project is the installation of a gross pollutant trap (GPT) on the south side of Main Street, close to the Barwon Hotel.

This will catch street litter, stopping it from entering the drainage system and running into the river.

Benefits

The benefits of this approach are:

The location of the trees immediately above the drainage system will provide a healthy growing environment for trees, offering the right volume and moisture content of soil.
The stormwater system will reduce reliance on other water supplies for irrigation.
The project will help reduce the ‘urban heat island effect’ on the streets. (Urban areas experience higher temperatures than natural or rural environments because built features such as roads absorb and retain more heat. Trees help reduce this effect.)
The project will contribute to improved liveability, bringing wellbeing benefits for residents.
Reducing the volume of water flowing into the river aims to address the issue of erosion of the river bank.

Frequently asked questions

When will the work take place and will access to my street and home be impacted?

Work is planned to start in August 2025 and finish by the end of October.

There may be some temporary impacts to access during the works. However, Council will work closely with the contractor to minimise disruption and ensure that residents always retain access to their driveways and properties.

Maintaining access and safety for the community is a key priority throughout the project.

I don’t want a tree planted in front of my house. Do I have a choice?

The location of each tree has been carefully planned to maintain clear sightlines for driveways and intersections, and to preserve as much on-street parking as possible.

While we have updated the designs where possible to take previous resident feedback into account, tree placement is an essential part of the overall design.

If you have a strong concern about the location of a tree in the design, please contact us by the end of July 2025.