Three Seymour projects have been given priority on Mitchell Shire Council's state election funding wish list.
Council last week released the list, which included a mental health hub in Seymour, Hillldene Employment Precinct and restoration of the Old Goulburn Bridge.
The Seymour Community Wellbeing Hub was a top priority project identified by the community in the Seymour Revitalisation Project. It is a partnership between Mitchell Shire Council, Goulburn Valley Health, Seymour Health and Nexus Primary Health.
The proposed $23 million hub requires state and federal funding.
Seymour has been identified as an at-risk area, with multiple socio-economic markers of wellbeing below the state average.
Currently one in 12 homes in Seymour is social housing and domestic violence rates are three times the states average.
Statistics for youth also indicate disadvantage, with one in six young people not engaged in either work or study and one in three children not completing secondary education.
Mental health support can be difficult to access for many people in the region. The hub would aim to bring together vital community services to help provide mental health support, help for veterans and support for victims of family violence.
It would also provide education, employment and social support for students and young people.
Hilldene Employment Precinct, west of Seymour, is another key point on the council agenda.
The Victorian Government had previously committed $1.6 million in pre-planning. Stage one included a new intersection and infrastructure design and approvals for the expansion of water and sewage networks.
The council is currently seeking funding for stage two of the council-owned project, which would be the final infrastructure component for the precinct. The $5.2 million investment would upgrade water and sewage services, with businesses able to move in following its completion.
The current shortage of industrial land near Seymour is deterring businesses from moving to the region.
Council also placed the Old Goulburn Bridge restoration on its priority list. One of Seymour’s oldest structures, the bridge was built in 1863 and requires $4.3 million for restoration.
Mitchell Shire Mayor Bill Chisholm said the projects identified needed help from the state government.
“These priorities build upon council’s federal election ‘Connecting Mitchell’ campaign focussing on people, jobs and health,” Cr Chisholm said.
“These projects would help to create and maintain a healthy, connected and sustainable community.”
Other projects identified by council include the Kilmore bypass on the Northern Highway and the Camerons Lane-Hume Freeway interchange, the latter of which council said would create 2000 jobs and unlock 30,000 homes by providing access to the highway.
Further projects on council’s election wish list were an intermodal freight terminal at Beveridge and an Orange Door family violence service in Wallan.