REPORTS – Governance and Engagement

10 March 2015Ordinary Council Meeting of Council

REPORT NO: GE028 (cont.)

Report No:GE028

REPORT TITLE:Proposal to Name an Unnamed Reserve within the Aston Development, Craigieburn: ‘Burt-kur-min Reserve'

SOURCE:Peter Faull, Coordinator Governance and Corporate Support; Denise Heffernan, Ward Meeting and Projects Officer

DIVISION:City Governance and Information

file nO:HCC14/635

POLICY:Place Names Policy

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE:5.3 Provide responsible and transparent governance, services and infrastructure which responds to and supports community needs.

Attachments: 1.Application to Name Unnamed Reserve

2.Confirmation of Amended Proposal

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REPORTS – Governance and Engagement

10 March 2015Ordinary Council Meeting of Council

REPORT NO: GE028 (cont.)

1.Summary of Report:

1.1This report provides details of a proposal received by Council from Urbis Pty Ltd to name an unnamed reserve in the Aston Development Craigieburn, ‘Burt-kur-min Reserve’. A copy of the proposal is provided as Attachment 1. A map showing the location of the reserve is available on page 2 of this attachment.

1.2This report also outlines the scope of the community consultation process recommended to be undertaken for this naming proposal.

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REPORTS – Governance and Engagement

10 March 2015Ordinary Council Meeting of Council

REPORT NO: GE028 (cont.)

2.RECOMMENDATION:
2.1That Council approves progression of a proposal from Urbis Pty Ltd to name an unnamed reserve, located in the Aston Development Craigieburn, to the public consultation stage.
2.2That Council notes the name proposed for this unnamed reserve is ‘Burt-kur-min Reserve’.

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REPORTS – Governance and Engagement

10 March 2015Ordinary Council Meeting of Council

REPORT NO: GE028 (cont.)

3.Legislative Powers:

Geographic Place Names Act 1998

4.Financial Implications:

4.1Expenditure associated with this naming proposal will include administration and signage costs. An approximate estimate of the costs associated with this proposal would be $350 for a notice in local papers, and $500 for a park name sign to be designed, manufactured and installed if the proposal is approved.

4.2The costs of the administration and any signage will be funded from Council’s operational budget.

5.ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY CONSIDERATIONS:

Nil

6.CHARTER OF HUMAN RIGHTS APPLICATION:

The rights protected in The Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006 were considered and it was determined that no rights are engaged in this naming proposal.

7.Community Consultation:

7.1In accordance with Council’s Place Names Policy and the Guidelines for Geographic Place Names 2010 Victoria Version 2 (the Guidelines), Council is required to consult with the community for naming proposals that it is considering approving. The method and extent of consultation is dependent upon the significance of the proposal.

7.2It is proposed that Council consult with the community beyond the immediate vicinity of the unnamed reserve located at 575 Craigieburn Road, Craigieburn, by placing public notices in local newspapers and on Council’s website seeking community feedback on the naming proposal. As the reserve is surrounded by vacant land, a mail out to directly affected properties is not a viable method of consultation for this proposal.

7.3The consultation period will be for 30 days.

8.Discussion:

8.1On 3 September 2014 Council received a proposal from Urbis Pty Ltd to name an unnamed reserve in the Aston Development, located at 575 Craigieburn Road, Craigieburn.

8.2The original name submitted for consideration was Burt-kur-min. On advice from Council officers, this was later amended to Burt-kur-min Reserve, in order to comply with Principal 2(A) of the Guidelines, which state that a feature type should be included in the feature name and located after the unique feature name. Confirmation from Urbis Pty Ltd of the amended name is provided as Attachment 2.

8.3Council was advised by the applicant that the reserve area had been identified as an area of Aboriginal Cultural Heritage significance and it was therefore determined that it would be conserved as passive open space.

8.4The applicant advised that an engagement and consultation process with the Wurundjeri Tribe Land and Compensation Cultural Heritage Council Inc, the Registered Aboriginal Party (RAP) for this area, was undertaken prior to submitting the naming proposal to ensure that a culturally appropriate name for the reserve was chosen.

8.5The name ‘Burt-kur-min’, meaning ‘calm’ in the traditional Indigenous Woiwurrung language local to the area, was chosen by the Wurundjeri Tribe Land and Compensation Cultural Heritage Council.Page 7 of Attachment 1 shows written confirmation of this in the form of a certificate from the Wurundjeri Tribe Land and Compensation Cultural Heritage Council.

8.6When considering a naming proposal, Council, as the naming authority, must follow the Guidelines and Hume City Council’s Place Names Policy.

8.7An analysis undertaken by Council officers against key principles of the Guidelines is summarised in Table 1 below:

TABLE 1: Analysis of proposal against Principles – Proposed naming of unnamed reserve in the Aston Development, 575 Craigieburn Road, Craigieburn -
‘Burt-kur-min Reserve’
Principle 1(A) Language / Comment
  • Geographic names, except then they are proper nouns, must be written in standard Australian English or a recognised format of an Australian Indigenous language local to the area of the feature, locality or road.
  • Geographic names should be easy to pronounce, spell and write, and preferably not more than three words (including feature type) and/or 25 characters.
  • An exception to this is the use of Australian Indigenous languages when it is accepted that traditional names appearing at first to be complex will, over time, become familiar and easy to use within the community.
/
  • The site of the reserve is considered to be an area of Aboriginal Cultural significance and the proposed name was chosen in consultation with the Wurundjeri Tribe Land & Compensation Cultural Heritage Council, being the Registered Aboriginal Party (RAP) for the area.
  • The proposed name is consistent with the Australian Indigenous language local to the area, which is Woiwurrung.
  • The proposed name means ‘calm’ in Woiwurrung and it is anticipated that this Australian Indigenous name will in time become familiar within the local community of the Aston Development.

Principle 1(B) Recognising the public interest / Comment
  • Regard needs to be given to the long-term consequences and effects upon the wider community of naming, renaming or adjusting the boundary of a feature, locality or road.
  • Changes to existing names or boundaries will affect not only the current community but also future residents, businesses, property owners and visitors.
/
  • As the proposal does not affect any boundaries, it is not envisaged that the naming of the park will affect the local community.
  • As the area is being developed but is currently unoccupied, the naming of the unnamed reserve will not adversely affect addresses of future residents.

Principle 1(C) Ensuring public safety / Comment
Geographic names and boundaries must not risk public and operational safety for emergency response, or cause confusion for transport, communication and mail services. / The proposed naming of the unnamed reserve may enhance public safety by providing a more easily identified location for emergency services and visitors to the reserve.
Principle 1(D) Ensuring names are not duplicated / Comment
Place names must not be duplicated. Duplicates are considered to be two (or more) names within close proximity, and those which are identical or have similar spelling or pronunciation. / A search in VICNAMES revealed no duplication of the name ‘Burt-kur-min’ within a 15 km radius of the location.
Principle 1(G) Linking the name to the place / Comment
  • Place names should be relevant to the local area.
  • When a feature is of greater than local significance the name should be relevant to the wider community.
/
  • The applicant has established the connection of the proposed name to the area of the reserve through the consultation process with the RAP.
  • The name is of local significance only.

Principle 1(K) Recognition and use of Indigenous Australian names / Comment
  • The use of traditional Indigenous Australian names is encouraged for features, localities and roads, subject to agreement from the relevant Indigenous communities.
  • The identification of a name (or names) of Indigenous heritage is encouraged to be undertaken by Indigenous groups who form a consultative group to the naming authority.
  • Consultation with the relevant Indigenous communities should be undertaken prior to any public consultation on the proposed name(s).
  • Consent is considered to be approval for the proposal at a meeting or during a phone conversation with, or through a letter written and signed by, the relevant representative of the Indigenous organisation.
/
  • The use of a traditional Indigenous Australian name is consistent with Principle 1(K) as the area was identified as being of Aboriginal Cultural Heritage significance
  • The proposed name means ‘calm’ in Woiwurrung and was chosen through a consultation process with the Wurundjeri Tribe Land & Compensation Cultural Heritage Council.
  • The consultation process undertaken prior to submitting the proposal to Council is in keeping with Principle 1(K).
  • The applicant has provided written consent from the RAP for the proposed name of the reserve, in the form of a certificate signed by the Wurundjeri Tribe Land & Compensation Cultural Heritage Council Inc.

Principle 2(A) Feature type / Comment
  • A feature type should be included in the feature name and located after the unique feature name. This is to minimise possible confusion over the feature type to which the name applies.
  • The exception to this is the use of traditional Indigenous names or words if the Indigenous name already includes details of the feature type. For example, Birrarung Marr is a park in Melbourne with Marr translating from the Woiwurrung language to mean ‘park’ in English.
/
  • The proposed name includes a feature type after the feature name, being Reserve, which is consistent with this principal.

8.8As the proposed name ‘Burt-kur-min Reserve’ appears to conform to the Principles contained in the Guidelines and Council’s Place Names Policy, and the name is not a duplicate of an already named feature or reserve, it is viewed as appropriate for Council to progress this naming proposal to the public consultation stage.

8.9Should Council endorse the recommendation to proceed with this naming proposal to the public consultation stage, a report on the feedback received during public consultation will be presented to Council after that process has concluded.

9.Conclusion:

It is recommended that Council approves the progression to public consultation of a proposal from Urbis Pty Ltd to name an unnamed reserve, located in the Aston DevelopmentCraigieburn, the ‘Burt-kur-min Reserve’.

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