Council’s current strategy - Cluster, Connect and Consolidation - was developed from the Urban Living Study in 2004. The main components of this strategy were:
• Urban consolidation and expansion in Castlemaine (including Campbells Creek);
• Urban containment and limited expansion at Maldon;
• Infill development at Newstead;
• Planned growth of Harcourt, Taradale and Elphinstone;
• Improving transport connections between Castlemaine and other towns;
• Limited growth of other towns.
The Urban Living Study predicted significant population growth for the shire, and household growth. Actual population growth has been below the level predicted by the Urban Living Study. However the growth in the number of dwellings in the Shire is similar to projections in the Urban Living Strategy, but is different at township level.
Download a copy of the 2004 Mount Alexander Urban Living Study.
In 2015 Council’s Strategic Planning team commenced an Urban Growth Strategy, the purpose of which was to review the existing Mount Alexander Urban Living Study (2004) and to bring this together with current data to create a cohesive framework for managing the future urban growth of the Shire.
The Urban Growth Strategy was never completed due to a number of factors including changes to State Planning Policy (e.g. bushfire policy) and State Government planning directions, internal resourcing constraints, and changes to the Strategic Planning team’s preferred methodology for settlement planning.