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Client: Living Links Steering Committee (Consortium of Port Phillip Catchment Management Authority, State and Local Government Agencies).

The Living Links Steering Committee engaged Spatial Vision, assisted by the Beca Planning team, to undertake the first phase of the Living Links Master Plan Project – Project 1 Asset Identification & Analysis.

The Living Links Master Plan is a very ambitious project as it aims to set out a framework to determine corridors for connecting patches of natural environmental value, sites of cultural values and recreation areas/ social activities. The links are to be planned into an existing heavily modified  urbanised environment. The Master Plan will become an investment plan for seeking significant financial support to implement the subsequent works program over the next 25 years.

A key component of Project 1 was the engagement with of a broad range stakeholders (including state and local government, water authorities, recreation and NRM interest groups and indigenous land councils; as well as community groups, friends groups and local residents) and to bring them on board with the project and harness their knowledge.

The Spatial Vision team developed and delivered a project plan that achieved all the key goals set down by the Living Links Steering Committee. These included:

• Development of a methodology to determine the significance of assets in the landscape in relation to their community importance and natural, social, recreation and cultural significance.
• A  comprehensive consultation process with all stakeholders involved in Living Links to ensure their involvement in identifying assets in the landscape.
• Research and review of past & present registers, reports, plans, and strategies to identify assets and existing corridors. 
• Producing an information framework to house the spatial and non-spatial information collated for the subsequent phase of the overall project and an accompanying summary report.
  

Spatial Vision’s successful delivery of this project was underpinned by two key factors:

• Implementation of its standardised approach to NRM projects of this type. This methodology is called NRMLogic©, and is a logical approach to developing a spatial expression of NRM issues and priorities.
• The project management, NRM, spatial information, planning and consultation methodologies expertise that could be brought to bear by the collaboration of Spatial Vision and Beca.
  

Demonstrated Capabilities

• Ability to consult with a broad range of stakeholders on available and suitable spatial information to support master plan activities.
• Ability to design and implement a suitable central repository to support master plan activities.
• Develop a suitable methodology to determine landscape significance that is strategically focused.
• Development of a cost effective, transparent, modular and repeatable project methodology suitable for ongoing refinement.

Resources

Milos Pelikan was the primary designer and developer of the methodology and resultant spatial products.
Stephen Farrell was responsible for project management and report preparation.
Beca Planning undertook stakeholder consultation

Technologies Applied

• ArcGIS Desktop
• ArcSDE
• ArcReader