Macedon Ranges Shire residents await the passage of planning legislation designed to protect the region from inappropriate development with “baited breath”, its residents association has said.
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The bill, which according to Macedon Ranges Residents Association secretary Christine Pruneau has been 20 years in the making, will be introduced into state parliament on Wednesday by the planning minister.
Despite the extensive public consultation done before the legislation was formulated, the ratepayer group is unaware of the bill’s exact content.
“Residents do not want to become a repository for Melbourne's excess growth,” Ms Pruneau said.
“We had a (local planning) policy adopted 40 years ago that recognised something had to be done to resist pressure from Melbourne.”
The contentious part of the legislation would be the localised planning statement, which includes settlement boundaries around townships in the area, Ms Pruneau said.
“They (state government) have done what they said they’d do, but it just depends what is in what they've done,” added Ms Pruneau, suggesting there was a danger the settlement boundaries could be too large.
“Once you go out into rural land to accommodate growth you fail to protect this place (shire).”
The Planning and Environment Amendment (Distinctive Areas and Landscapes) Bill 2017 will apply to Macedon Ranges in the first instance, but other eligible areas could be afforded similar status in the future, according to the government.
As part of the legislation, settlement boundaries will be in place for the townships of Gisborne, Kyneton, Romsey, Riddells Creek, Lancefield and Woodend, and – similar to Melbourne’s urban growth boundary –they will require parliamentary approval to amend.
Planning minister Richard Wynne said: “The Macedon Ranges has a unique history spanning thousands of years and we're giving it a safe and secure future. This is an important location not just for locals, but all Victorians."
Member for Macedon Mary-Anne Thomas said: “The community has spoken and we’ve acted. We promised we’d protect everything that makes Macedon Ranges great and that’s exactly what we’ve done.”
Macedon Ranges Shire council mayor Jennifer Anderson urged shire residents to have a “really good look at” proposed settlement boundaries and provide feedback during the consultation period, which she believed was open for six-eight weeks.
“There is a strong local desire to ensure Macedon Ranges Shire towns can maintain their character, which all comes through in our council plan,” Cr Anderson said.
“Ultimately it is for the community that we are doing this.”
State government legislation brochure