Planning for housing in Maldon and Newstead
The Maldon and Newstead 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 Newstead for clearer guidance and certainty for future development
- Inform changes to planning policy in the Mount Alexander Planning Scheme
Why is the strategy needed?
The population of the Mount Alexander Shire is growing, and our towns are experiencing growth and housing pressures. 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.
The strategy, along with the Housing and Neighbourhood Character Strategy for Castlemaine, Campbells Creek and Chewton and Plan Harcourt, is to help guide residential development in the shire into the future.
How is the strategy being prepared?
The strategy is being prepared by Council’s Strategic Planning team and is to be informed by a number of technical studies including a demographic and housing data 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.