Castlemaine, Campbells Creek and Chewton Housing and Neighbourhood Character Strategy

The Castlemaine, Campbells Creek and Chewton Housing and Neighbourhood Character Strategy responds to local, regional and state planning directions relating to housing and planning for population growth as well as community needs and aspirations.

The purpose of the project is to:

• Understand the changing housing needs in the community
• Identify potential sites for housing within urban areas and designate appropriate areas for future development
• Take into account neighbourhood character, heritage values and environmental factors to designate areas for substantial, incremental and minimal change
• Prepare design guidelines for clearer guidance and certainty for future development
• Inform changes to planning policy in the Mount Alexander Planning Scheme

Castlemaine, Campbells Creek and Chewton are experiencing growth and housing pressures. At the same time, there is a lack of neighbourhood character protections within the Mount Alexander Planning Scheme. This project seeks to encourage residential development within existing urban areas by providing clearer guidance and certainty on housing change areas and infill development outcomes.

Mount Alexander Shire Council secured a $200,000 grant under the Victorian Planning Authority’s Streamlining for Growth Program 2021/22 towards this project.

The strategy is being prepared by Council’s Strategic Planning team and is to be informed by a number of technical studies including but not limited to a demographic and housing data analysis, a neighbourhood character study, a heritage gap analysis and bushfire risk assessment, as well as community and stakeholder consultation.

Importantly, the strategy is to consider the Victorian Government’s new guidance (Planning Practice Notes) for Planning for housing and Using the residential zones. These Planning Practice Notes provide advice to councils about how to prepare, use and apply Victoria’s planning provisions for residential development. The practice notes cover important topics including how to plan for housing and how to make best use of the planning tools to balance housing growth with the protection of neighbourhood character.

For further information on this project please contact Council’s Strategic Planning team on (03) 5471 1700 or email strategicplanning@mountalexander.vic.gov.au.

Visit the project's shape page for more information, including when/how you can be involved and provide feedback.