Overview
Improving unsealed roads is a long‑standing priority for Council and the community; however, sealing all unsealed roads at once is not financially possible.
That’s why we’re introducing the Local Street Sealing Initiative (LSSI) — a consistent, long‑term framework to guide how residential unsealed roads upgrades may be considered across the shire.
The initiative is supported through Special Charge Schemes (SCS), allowing Council and directly benefitting property owners to share the cost of road upgrades.
Participation in the initiative provides a financially structured framework for planning and property owner engagement, through which potential Special Charge Schemes may be developed, alongside Council’s ongoing advocacy for additional funding.
A long‑term framework to improving unsealed roads
The LSSI establishes a clear and consistent approach to future planning.
It allows Council to gradually progress Special Charge Scheme consultations across residential unsealed roads, rather than attempting to assess or upgrade all roads at once.
Endorsed by Council at the April 2026 Council Meeting, the LSSI establishes a sustained planning framework that:
- sets out Council’s long‑term approach to upgrading residential unsealed roads through Special Charge Schemes
- ensures a fair, consistent and financially sustainable method for planning and engagement
- explains how roads may be identified, assessed and considered using weighted criteria
- outlines Council’s engagement process for potential Special Charge Scheme proposals
- streamlines the consideration of roads for future upgrades
Guiding future planning
The LSSI focuses on outlining clear engagement principles and evidence‑based assessment guidelines to support consistent planning across the shire.
Engagement with property owners is an essential part of the LSSI framework, with Council proposing to consider a Special Charge Scheme (SCS) on each street individually.
Each eligible road will be assessed over time and prioritised for engagement, depending on the following criteria:
- affordability and estimated resident contribution costs
- ongoing maintenance requirements and asset management costs
- safety and emergency access
- resident enquiries and petitions
In addition, any proposal may also be influenced by:
- property owners engagement and support
- future funding availability
- technical assessments and data analysis
- further Council decisions and direction
🛣️Find my road
Search your street
Being included in the LSSI means a street may be considered for future planning and property owner engagement through a Special Charge Scheme.
🚗Current roads identified
Petitions approved by Council
- Lenne Street, Beaconsfield Upper
- Sutherland Street, Beaconsfield Upper
Petitions received (Under Review)
- View Hill Road, Cockatoo
🤝Direct engagement process
Engagement is a key part of the Local Street Sealing Initiative (LSSI). Consultation is targeted and only occurs when a specific road is being considered for a future Special Charge Scheme.
If your local unsealed road is being considered under the LSSI, direct engagement happens step‑by‑step and:
- You will only be contacted if and when your street is being considered
- You will have clear opportunities to ask questions and provide feedback
- No project will proceed without demonstrated property owner support
Council starts by reviewing unsealed roads using:
- technical advice
- available funding
- information collected as part of the Local Street Sealing Initiative
If a road is identified for consideration, affected property owners will be notified.
Before any formal engagement begins, Council officers will:
- inspect the road
- understand site conditions and constraints
- prepare preliminary cost estimates
This step ensure determines that the proposal is achievable.
Property owners will receive a letter inviting them to an information session.
At the session, Council officers will:
- ouline the proposed scope of works
- share indicative estimated costs
- answer questions
After the session, property owners will be invited to provide feedback through a survey to indicate support or objcetion to the proposal.
Council reviews:
- technical assessments
- cost information
- property owners feedback
Where majority of the responses received indicate support, Council may decide to continue progressing the proposal.
If less than 50% support is received, or there is clear community opposition, the proposal will not proceed.
If Council is satisfied there is sufficient support, thestatutory Special Charge Scheme process begins, in accordance with the Local Government Act 2020 and Council's Special Charge Scheme policy.
If the proposal is supported:
- detailed design is prepared
- final costs estimates are refined
- Owners will be notified of a second information session
Residents may apply to VCAT (the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal) after the Special Charge Scheme is formally declared.
Construction will not start until:
- all legal requirements are met
- funding is available
- Council formally resolves the scheme to proceed
💬FAQs
The LSSI is a long-term framework that guides how Council plans and considers sealing unsealed residential roads over time using a fair, consistent and financially sustainable approach.
Improving unsealed roads is highlighted as one of the priorities in the Council Plan, and LSSI outlines how Council will begin to assess and progress with sealing additional residential roads through Special Charge Scheme proposals.
No. It means your street may be considered for future planning and engagement through a proposed Special Charge Scheme process.
Roads are considered and assessed using clear criteria such as affordability, safety and emergency access, maintenance costs and demonstrated community interests.
Inclusion in the initiative does not guarantee future construction, but supports Council’s commitment to progress, consistent planning and engagement over time.
If your road hasn’t been included as part of the LSSI, this may mean that it doesn’t meet the current eligibility criteria and could be part of the unsealed strategic link/collector roads under the Unsealed Roads Improvement Plan.
The assessment criteria under the Local Street Sealing Initiative (LSSI) provide a consistent and transparent way for Council to decide which unsealed roads can be planned and considered first for future sealing.
To be eligible, an unsealed road must be in a residential area with at minimum of 25 properties per kilometre. All eligible roads are then assessed against clearly defined criteria, including estimated resident contributions under a Special Charge Scheme, maintenance costs, emergency access and connectivity, and demonstrated community interest or enquiries.
The assessment framework was developed using over nine years of historical data, technical input from Council engineers and asset specialists, and benchmarking against other councils’ practices. The framework and criteria were presented to and endorsed by Council at the April 2026 Council Meeting, ensuring decisions are evidence‑based, consistent and fair
Council estimates that total sealing project costs could vary from $18,000 to $1.5 million per unsealed residential road.
With Council currently managing over 800km of unsealed roads across Cardinia Shire, the substantial costs mean that sealing all unsealed roads at once is not financially viable for Council or ratepayers.
Improving unsealed roads continues to be a high priority, with Council continuing to advocate for additional funding and support from all levels of government to see more significant progress being made.
The Local Street Sealing Initiative sets out what Council can realistically begin to do, taking a staged, long‑term approach towards engagement and making improvements, while we continue to advocate for additional funding.
No. At this time, no additional external funding has been secured specifically for unsealed road upgrades. While improving unsealed roads remains a high priority, Council’s current funding capacity is limited.
Council continues to actively advocate to all levels of government, including ahead of the State election, for additional funding. In the meantime, the Local Street Sealing Initiative sets out how Council can make progress now through a staged, long‑term approach, while advocacy for further funding continues.
Council is proposing to fund road sealing through a cost‑sharing approach under the Local Street Sealing Initiative (LSSI), using Special Charge Schemes (SCS) allowed under the Local Government Act.
As no additional external funding has been secured, this legislated process enables Council and the property owners who directly benefit to share the cost, with indicative owner contributions estimated at $8,000 to $26,000 per benefit unit.
Community engagement is key, and a scheme will only proceed where majority support from responses received is demonstrated, while Council continues to advocate for additional government funding to deliver more upgrades over time.
In January 2023, $109 million of committed funding was discontinued and withdrawn from the Sealing the Hills program by the Australian Government.
Due to funding cuts, the program was reduced and Council delivered and sealed 38 roads with the remaining $41 million in funding. The Sealing the Hills program has since been completed.
Council is continuing to advocate for funding from all levels of government; however, no additional funding has been secured to date.
The Local Street Sealing Initiative sets out what Council can realistically begin to do, taking a staged, long‑term approach towards engagement and making improvements, while we continue to advocate for additional funding.
For more information on Council’s ongoing advocacy efforts, visit www.cardinia.vic.gov.au/together-we-rise
