Update on Harcourt Town Centre Vision and biodiversity assessment work

Published on 24 July 2023

Update on Harcourt Town Centre Action Plan

Council officers have recently completed the Harcourt Town Centre Action Plan following consultation with the Harcourt community earlier this year. This is to be presented to Council to consider for adoption towards the end of 2023.

The Action Plan lists ten key projects that celebrate Harcourt’s beautiful features and conceives a town that is liveable and connected. To help inform the actions relating to transport, a strategy funded by the Transport Accident Commission (TAC) has also been prepared to improve the safety and amenity of all road users in Harcourt with a focus on encouraging walking and cycling.

To learn more about the Harcourt Town Centre Action Plan visit Shape Mount Alexander.

Update on Biodiversity assessment work as part of Plan Harcourt

To progress the Plan Harcourt Planning Scheme Amendment, and ensure it is managing to protect biodiversity considerations in Harcourt, Council has completed a stage 1 biodiversity assessment.

The stage 1 assessment found that while the Plan Harcourt Amendment attempts to protect higher value biodiversity in certain ways, such as rezoning areas for development with limited biodiversity values, a second stage assessment is required in order to confirm higher biodiversity areas.

These finding reinforce the independent Planning Panel’s key recommendation that the Plan Harcourt Amendment should not proceed until further work is completed to strategically plan for biodiversity protections.

Council has been working with the Department of Transport and Planning’s Regional Planning Partnerships team for funding support to deliver this work, and has been successful in getting dollar for dollar matched funding from the Department.

Council’s Strategic Planning team is currently working with the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action to scope out the works for the stage 2 biodiversity assessment. Once this advice is received, Council officers will start the procurement process to appoint a suitably qualified consultant to undertake this work.

For further updates and to view a copy of the stage 1 biodiversity assessment visit Plan Harcourt.