115,000 people live in Maroondah. Can you guess how many replied to a survey on Croydon’s future?

Maroondah Council mayor Kylie Spears said consultation on the plan on the outlook for Croydon was “extensive”.

Matthew Sims
July 25, 2025

Maroondah Council has defended its “extensive consultation” over a long-term plan for Croydon, despite just 57 people in a population of about 115,000 writing comments for an online survey.

This represents about one in every 2,000 residents.

Councils nationwide struggle to engage community members who are often too busy, or don’t care about the third tier of government. While many people are happy to grizzle on social media, far fewer take the time to write considered contributions.

Maroondah Council says officers engaged with local traders and offered community members one-on-one meetings to discuss their long-term vision for the “Croydon Activity Centre”.

A mailout was sent to more than 4,000 people seeking views on how the centre should be developed in coming years.

What does the plan set out?

Maroondah Council last adopted its former Croydon Town Centre Structure Plan in 2006 as a 30-year vision for the Croydon town centre.

The council endorsed an updated plan, which sets out planning-related issues and guidance on land use and development, infrastructure and transport, at its meeting on Monday (July 21).

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What consultation did Maroondah Council undertake?

Maroondah Council released the Croydon Activity Centre Structure Plan for public consultation between September 1 and October 31 of 2023.

Consultation methods included 4,061 letters sent out, articles in various Maroondah publications and postcards distributed to local traders, Aquahub and Croydon Library.

Council received 75 “pindrop comments” on the map of Croydon on the Your Say Maroondah page and 57 written submissions.

Maroondah’s latest budget document received no public submissions via the Your Say Maroondah page.

According to the 2021 Census, 115,043 people call Maroondah home.

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What was Maroondah Council’s reaction to the low response rate?

Maroondah Council mayor Kylie Spears said the first stage of consultation on the plan began in 2021.

“When reviewing consultation data, council looks at more than the number of responses,” she told the Eastern Melburnian.

“Instead, we focus on the level of engagement on the topic, to ensure our target audience are well informed, and have an opportunity to make submissions or provide feedback through council’s multiple channels.

“In this instance, it is clear there has been extensive consultation and engagement from our community.”