MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire will review whether a long-missing pedestrian link in Rosebud can be formally built as calls grow from residents.
Locals have gone so far as to create their own path within the missing link along Old Cape Schanck Rd between Jetty Rd and Cleek Cres by regularly mowing the grass and cutting back vegetation.
Councillor Max Patton raised the issue at the council’s 14 October meeting, putting forward a motion calling for the council to investigate options for completing the missing pedestrian path.
The proposed pathway falls outside the township’s urban growth boundary and therefore sits beyond the shire’s existing assessment framework of the Pedestrian Access and Priority Network plan (PPN), which was adopted in March last year.
The PPN outlines key walking routes within the urban growth boundary, aiming to link destinations such as activity centres, schools, and transport hubs to support safe and accessible travel on foot.
During community consultation for this plan, 23 of the 443 submissions specifically called for a footpath between Jetty Rd and Cleek Cres, making it the most frequently nominated path by community members across the municipality.
“It’s the single highest number across the peninsula, and they’re all calling out for this missing footpath link,” Patton said during the shire meeting.
“The residents around here have been incredibly proactive; they mow the roadside grass, they cut back vegetation from the guard rail across the bridge, creating enough space for people, including school kids, to walk and ride safely along that path.
“Recently, an informal footbridge appeared across Melbourne Water’s stormwater drain that crosses Drum Drum Alloc Creek. This has been brought to council’s attention by other members of the community who are concerned about the lack of handrail.”
Patton said given the “change in circumstances” with a footbridge being installed and a “really active community,” he believed “an early assessment is now warranted”.
“This motion is about transparency, it’s about fairness and giving the community confidence that their concerns are being properly considered within a clear framework,” he said.
But Patton made clear that “it’s not about committing council to construction – it’s just asking officers to assess the missing link using the same criteria as other network paths”.
According to a shire report, a review would involve an “indicative ranking relative to other missing links” to “ensure that the community’s voice is respected, and that councillors have the necessary information to compare it against existing priorities”.
“Such an approach does not pre-commit council to construction but does provide a transparent and evidence-based foundation for future decisions,” it said.
Councillors approved the motion in a 7-2 vote.
There are currently 118 prioritised projects identified in the PPN.
The shire report stated while it was “recognised there is strong local support for a footpath on Old Cape Schanck Rd between Jetty Rd and Cleek Cres, as per the PAS (pedestrian access strategy), should the community want a footpath in this location, a community initiated special charge scheme could be considered to fund delivery of this footpath”.
Paths and associated infrastructure identified in the PPN are proposed to be funded by the shire’s annual capital works program. For footpaths not on the PPN, a special charge scheme may be used to fund the construction of footpaths.
Deputy mayor Cr Paul Pingiaro, who voted in support of the motion, noted the “delivery of new footpaths on the PPN has been constrained by limited grant opportunities and capital works funding in recent budget cycles”.
First published in the Mornington News – 4 November 2025
