Council commits to protect biodiversity in Harcourt

Published on 10 May 2024

Bright blue, black and navy bird perched on wooden table

Council is taking steps to increase the protection of flora and fauna in Harcourt.

Council recently undertook field work in and around the township which identified high biodiversity values.

To help ensure that those values are protected now, and into the future, Council is planning new planning controls.

These planning controls will result in a change to the Mount Alexander Planning Scheme, referred to as Amendment c94malx.

The proposed changes to the planning scheme will: 

  • Protect plant and animal species identified as significant and identifying ‘habitat corridors’, along roadside and waterways in Harcourt.
  • Correctly apply the necessary provisions, including the Environmental Significance Overlay and Vegetation Protection Overlay on land in the Harcourt township.   
  • Rezone land to Rural Conservation to protect larger areas of significance.
  • Revise the township boundary to account for the findings in the Strategic Biodiversity Assessment.

These updates apply to public and private land in Harcourt, ensuring the preservation of high biodiversity values and preventing significant disturbance to specific areas.

If land is identified as being in an area of the draft planning controls, the landowner may be required to seek a planning permit before undertaking works on the biodiversity assets identified.

Council estimates that there are up to a few dozen private properties that will be potentially impacted.

Community members can find out more about what’s being proposed by visiting www.shape.mountalexander.vic.gov.au from Friday 10 May.

Community members can make a submission in support of or against the proposed changes before Monday 10 June. Submissions can be made via the Shape page or can be sent to:

For more information about the planning scheme amendment process, visit the ‘Planning Scheme and Amendments’ section of Council’s website at www.mountalexander.vic.gov.au.  

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