Paynesville - Fort King Public Amenity Opportunities

Fort King has been identified as a precinct with specific needs and diverse character that requires the development of an individual masterplan to guide future improvement and management.

Objective and scope

Our approach to achieving this task is in alignment with the Paynesville Foreshore Management Plan completed in 2017 to inform future of development in the Paynesville foreshore environs, including Fort King. This document provides direction for the comprehensive management and improvement of the foreshore into the future, and clearly articulates the vision, environmental values, design and management priorities that have been agreed to by the community and relevant approval and management agencies.

Issues associated with the Fort King area were described as:

• Expansive areas of car parking and poor visual quality of the precinct around the Fort King boat ramp
• The foreshore reserve adjacent to View Street and Driftwood Place is not clearly signposted, and the significance of this area is not evident
• Lack of connectivity between the existing walking paths
• This precinct is underutilised and not easily accessed by community or visitors
• Absence of continuous vegetation and canopy cover throughout the wetland area and along the northern foreshore
• Need for protection of the wetland area

Consultation and community engagement

As a starting point in this process, we developed a draft Opportunities Plan that focuses on specific strategies to improve public amenity and inform a masterplan to achieve balance between environmental controls and community expectations.

There are requirements associated with the presence of protected vegetation, including Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act 1999 Ramsar listed wetland, Flora and Fauna Guarantee (FFG) View Street slashing permit and additional area, the East Gippsland Coastal and Marine Management Plan (CMMP) and CFA Fuel Risk Assessment information.

These documents can be accessed by clicking the links above or can be found in the ‘Documents' section on this page.

20 February 2025 – community engagement

We met with the Fort King community to provide feedback on this plan by conducting an informal drop-in session at the boat ramp on 20 February where ideas and views were put forward.

A summary of what we heard can be found here.

We will also engage with the broader community in due course.

8 April 2025 - revised Fort King Opportunities Plan uploaded

After collating feedback from the Fort King community after the 20 February drop-in session we have made a Revised Opportunities Plan.

This plan can be found here.

We are now working on the Draft Masterplan.