Maylands Lakes Environmental Restoration Masterplan

BACKGROUND

In April 2024, Council endorsed the preparation of a Maylands Lakes Environmental Restoration Masterplan to develop a solution to improve water quality, reduce midge and algal blooms, and enhance amenity and access to nature in the area.

To follow the progress of the Masterplan, view the project tracker. You can also read about actions the City is taking to manage Maylands Lakes on the project page.

Draft Concept Design Report and Phase 2 Engagement

The City has worked with its Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP), Council, consultancy team and community members to inform development of the Masterplan. A key element of this was engaging our community about the issues experienced and restoration options.

A Draft Concept Design Report was endorsed by Council on 11 February 2025. Tony Weber from Alluvium presents the Draft Concept Report in this video.

A Concept Design Overview was also developed to communicate the Masterplan process.

Community were invited to attend a workshop and/or complete an online survey to provide feedback in response to the Draft Concept Design. The Engagement Outcomes Report is available here.

A revised Concept Design Report was presented to the SAP and to a Councillor Briefing for further feedback and revision.

Project update

The resulting Maylands Lakes Environmental Restoration Concept Report was endorsed at the April 2025 Ordinary Council Meeting.

The Maylands Lakes Final Concept features three phases for implementing the project.

The development of an Implementation Plan with gateways using the MERI framework (Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting Improvement) was highlighted as a next step to ensure the actions are appropriately prioritised and progressively implemented.

What's next

Community are invited to attend the next Maylands Lakes Community Forum on Thursday 15 May. As part of the forum, Tony Weber from Alluvium will present the final concept plan with a facilitated Q&A.

Following this, City officers will speak on implementation of Phase 1. For more information on the forum, click here.

BACKGROUND

In April 2024, Council endorsed the preparation of a Maylands Lakes Environmental Restoration Masterplan to develop a solution to improve water quality, reduce midge and algal blooms, and enhance amenity and access to nature in the area.

To follow the progress of the Masterplan, view the project tracker. You can also read about actions the City is taking to manage Maylands Lakes on the project page.

Draft Concept Design Report and Phase 2 Engagement

The City has worked with its Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP), Council, consultancy team and community members to inform development of the Masterplan. A key element of this was engaging our community about the issues experienced and restoration options.

A Draft Concept Design Report was endorsed by Council on 11 February 2025. Tony Weber from Alluvium presents the Draft Concept Report in this video.

A Concept Design Overview was also developed to communicate the Masterplan process.

Community were invited to attend a workshop and/or complete an online survey to provide feedback in response to the Draft Concept Design. The Engagement Outcomes Report is available here.

A revised Concept Design Report was presented to the SAP and to a Councillor Briefing for further feedback and revision.

Project update

The resulting Maylands Lakes Environmental Restoration Concept Report was endorsed at the April 2025 Ordinary Council Meeting.

The Maylands Lakes Final Concept features three phases for implementing the project.

The development of an Implementation Plan with gateways using the MERI framework (Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting Improvement) was highlighted as a next step to ensure the actions are appropriately prioritised and progressively implemented.

What's next

Community are invited to attend the next Maylands Lakes Community Forum on Thursday 15 May. As part of the forum, Tony Weber from Alluvium will present the final concept plan with a facilitated Q&A.

Following this, City officers will speak on implementation of Phase 1. For more information on the forum, click here.

  • Council backs new plan for Maylands Lakes

    At its meeting last night, Council voted unanimously to endorse the Maylands Lakes Environmental Restoration Concept Report and commence works identified in Phase 1.

    Council has approved setting aside $2.4 million in its draft 2025/26 Budget towards the project.

    Mayor Filomena Piffaretti said adopting the plan represented a significant milestone in addressing water quality and midge challenges experienced by the community at Maylands Lakes.

    “I’m confident this plan will deliver a solution to a complex problem that has been impacting the lives of our residents for many years,” she said.

    “This plan represents 12 months of working together with expert consultants, our Scientific Advisory Panel and our community on a data-driven approach.

    “We’ve listened to our community through forums and workshops, and this has informed development of the plan alongside advice from environmental scientists, academics and state agency representatives.

    “The City is fully funding the design and implementation of the first phase of works, so our community can be confident this plan will be put into action.”

    Phase 1 works include establishing a pumping system to recirculate water at Lake Brearley and developing a wetland at Brickworks Lake to filter and treat water entering the lakes. Phase 1 works are expected to take approximately 18 months to two years.

    The City will continue to advocate for external funding for actions identified in Phases 2 and 3.

  • Masterplan update

    Thank you to everyone who took time to provide feedback on the Maylands Lakes Environmental Restoration Masterplan Concept Design Overview recently.

    More than 100 members of our community had their say either by attending the in-person workshop or completing the online survey.

    Your feedback has been incorporated into a revised report that has been presented to the Scientific Advisory Panel and to Councillors for final feedback.

    The Maylands Lakes Environmental Restoration Concept Report (page 296) will now be presented at the Ordinary Council Meeting of Tuesday 29 April.

    The community engagement outcomes report has also been published on this page in the Community Engagement section in the right-hand panel: 250414 MLMP Engagement Report.pdf (1.52 MB)

  • Masterplan Workshop update

    A reminder community members are invited to provide their feedback on the Maylands Lakes Concept Design Report before 11pm this Sunday 16 March 2025.

    The City’s consultants are seeking to understand the community’s acceptance of the range of proposed intervention methods contained within the report to address the issues at Maylands Lakes.

    Provide your feedback by clicking on the Maylands Lakes Concepts Feedback Form tab on this page.

    Q&As from the Maylands Lakes Masterplan Workshop on Wednesday 26 February are now available below and in the box at the top-right of this page titled Masterplan Concept Documents.

    The consideration of pumps and filtration to alleviate the issues at Maylands Lakes will now be considered at the Ordinary Council Meeting of Tuesday 29 April 2025 along with the draft Masterplan.

  • Masterplan Workshop Pre-Reading and Quick Poll

    A Concept Design Report has been developed by our consultants in conjunction with the Scientific Advisory Panel, which has been presented to the City’s Executive, and to Council at a briefing.

    To help communicate the Masterplan process and support community engagement, a Concept Design Overview has also been developed. This overview is important reading ahead of the workshop.

    It contains:

    • Why Maylands Lakes are the way they are
    • What the possible responses are
    • How these responses have been prioritised and should be applied
    • What these responses might look like
    • What you should consider when providing feedback.

    Download a copy of the Concept Design Overview from the top of the menu bar.

    For the workshop, a series of criteria has been proposed to assist with reviewing the concepts. Tell us if you support these criteria or would like to provide comments or suggest refinements by completing a quick poll on this page.

    Note: The full Maylands Lakes Environmental Restoration Masterplan Concept Design Report has now been published on Engage Bayswater. This is supplementary information which is not required reading ahead of the workshop but provides more detail for those who are interested.

  • Masterplan Workshop

    A Maylands Lakes Masterplan Workshop has been scheduled for Wednesday 26 February.

    This workshop will be hosted by Alluvium, on behalf of the City, and facilitated by Joel Levin from Aha! Consulting.

    At the workshop, you will hear from our consultants on how they have determined the driving factors contributing to water quality issues, identified the key actions and developed a concept design report.

    This will be presented for exploration and discussion. Community feedback will be incorporated into a final approach which will go to Council for approval.

    Whether you are planning to attend in person or have your say online, please RSVP to receive pre-workshop reading material from the City and to complete a quick poll.

    Maylands Lakes Masterplan Workshop

    In person

    Date: Wednesday 26 February 2025

    Time: 6 – 9pm

    Location: The RISE, Maylands

    Light refreshments will be provided.

    Online

    Presentations from the workshop and an online feedback form will be made available from Thursday 27 February.

    RSVP: Please complete the form here

Page last updated: 12 May 2025, 12:17 PM