Southern Loddon Mallee Regional Strategic Plan 1 - Macedon ...

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strategic direction 1 Manage our population growth and settlements our objectives: We will manage and respond to projected population growth and change by: • Maintaining a well-connected network of towns and settlements which are the focus of high-quality development, activity, employment and living. • Concentrating new urban development in existing towns and settlements that can accommodate growth and in approved growth areas, whilst preserving our township/regional character. • Providing a diverse range of housing options to meet the community’s needs. • Developing physical infrastructure that keeps pace with growth. 12 Southern Loddon Mallee Regional Strategic Plan
Basis for action: The projected growth of Melbourne to five million people before 2030 is likely to intensify population growth within our region, particularly in Greater Bendigo, the Macedon Ranges and Mount Alexander. Current trends show lesser growth in Central Goldfields and Loddon Shires. Our region has strong settlement patterns with towns nestled in the surrounding forests and agricultural landscapes. These non-urban breaks must be protected. Detailed capacity analysis and growth area planning for settlements is required to protect the lifestyle that attracts so many new residents to our region. Our settlement patterns Our region’s settlement patterns and character are heavily influenced by the gold rush era. Most of our main towns, including Bendigo, Castlemaine, Kyneton, Gisborne, Maryborough and Wedderburn, were either important gold production areas or key staging posts for those travelling between the goldfields and Melbourne. The strong character of the settlements is defined by the surrounding bush or rural landscapes which significantly enhances their amenity. Rural residential land uses are concentrated in and near major towns primarily on the outskirts of Bendigo and towns along the Calder Corridor. Existing settlement patterns are concentrated around established towns, the metropolitan Melbourne interface, and major road and rail transport links to Melbourne, Bendigo and Ballarat. Towns across the region form a network connected by transport routes and accommodate the majority of our residential, employment and industrial land uses. Significant areas of public land are retained for nature conservation, forestry and other uses. Our region includes important conservation reserves, including the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park and the Terrick Terrick and Greater Bendigo National Parks. These attributes contribute to a strong settlement character with a diversity of distinct and defined townships separated by either the surrounding bush or rural landscapes. Population growth In 2006 our region’s population was 175,220, representing a growth of approximately 5,000 people since 2001. The Victorian Government projects that our region will grow to over 233,000 people by 2026. The projected annual rate of growth (1.7%) is almost 50% greater than the average for regional Victoria overall. Most of the projected growth is expected to be concentrated in Greater Bendigo, Macedon Ranges and Mount Alexander with lower growth in Central Goldfields and a population decrease in Loddon. The region has become a popular lifestyle alternative to metropolitan Melbourne due to its proximity, accessibility, and attractiveness. The improvements to the rail and road infrastructure of the Calder Transport Corridor have also influenced growth in the region. Continuing to plan for future population growth and associated urban growth is essential to retaining our region’s liveability, natural assets and heritage character. The growth pressures in Melbourne’s hinterland are significant. The distinct rural and bush buffers between our settlements shall be protected and retained, and urban sprawl prevented. Detailed settlement planning will identify the capacity of towns for growth incorporating environmental, physical and services opportunities and constraints. The amount and location of urban growth must be carefully managed to avoid the challenges that uneven distribution of population growth would present. The majority of anticipated growth will be accommodated in Bendigo, the provincial centre, where there are nominated growth areas located within an urban growth boundary. Currently all other settlements within the region are towns and small towns with populations of less than 10,000 people. Depending on where growth is directed, the role and function of some of the larger settlements may change to become district centres. Further settlement planning will determine the preferred future role and function of these towns and include strategies to direct and manage growth within the region. Capacity for growth The capacity for expansion of many of our settlements is limited by surrounding forest. Proximity to bushland also means that these settlements are exposed to risk from fire. Urban expansion needs to be carefully considered, particularly in the light of findings from the 2009 Bushfires Royal Commission. Macedon, Woodend and Gisborne are significant lifestyle towns with more than 40% of their populations commuting to Melbourne. With the recent rapid growth in population predicted to continue, Macedon Ranges Shire are currently undertaking detailed settlement planning to determine where to direct population growth and the future role and function of these settlements. The towns of Castlemaine, Chewton, Campbells Creek, Maldon and Newstead will be capable of meeting projected population growth. In Harcourt, a major upgrade of the wastewater transfer main will be required in order to cope with the projected population growth. For the currently unsewered towns of Elphinstone, Taradale and Guildford an innovative wastewater management system will be necessary to accommodate the projected growth, as the cost to connect the towns to sewer is likely to be very high. Maryborough has significant infrastructure and is capable of accommodating population growth. Whilst current projections are modest, there are strategies in place to attract residents and promote growth of the town. Smaller towns such as Clunes and Talbot have capacity for growth if the appropriate sewer infrastructure is provided. Towns in the Loddon Shire are located in Bendigo’s hinterland and could provide alternative lifestyle opportunities to living in the provincial centre. To facilitate such growth secure water supplies need to be implemented in towns such as Bridgewater, Newbridge, Inglewood and Laanecoorie. Bendigo Bendigo is the provincial centre servicing the broader region and is projected to experience the highest levels of growth. As one of Victoria’s regional cities, Bendigo is a service and employment hub with a diversity and depth of cultural, tourism and entertainment facilities. As the population of Greater Bendigo and our region grows, the city must adapt to provide the necessary health, education and employment services and infrastructure for a larger population. Settlement planning has been undertaken for Greater Bendigo to identify growth areas for new housing and industrial development. However, outward growth of the city is constrained by the surrounding forest. The development of infill sites, higher density housing and other urban consolidation initiatives will assist in providing appropriate accommodation choices. Southern Loddon Mallee Regional Strategic Plan 13
Page 1 and 2: Southern Loddon Mallee Regional Str
Page 3 and 4: contents About this Plan 4 Location
Page 5 and 6: STRaTegy 1: Manage our population g
Page 7 and 8: A snapshot of the Southern Loddon M
Page 9 and 10: our people The strong and widely ac
Page 11: Strategic Direction 1 - Manage our
Page 15 and 16: MaNage OuR POPuLaTION gROwTh aND Se
Page 17 and 18: Basis for action: Our region has ma
Page 19 and 20: STReNgTheN OuR COMMuNITIeS, eSPeCIa
Page 21 and 22: Basis for action: Overall, the regi
Page 23 and 24: STReNgTheN aND DIveRSIfy OuR eCONOM
Page 25 and 26: Basis for action: As our population
Page 27 and 28: IMPROve OuR INfRaSTRuCTuRe Telecomm
Page 29 and 30: IMPROve OuR INfRaSTRuCTuRe Southern
Page 31 and 32: Basis for action: Tertiary educatio
Page 33 and 34: IMPROve eDuCaTION aND TRaININg OuTC
Page 35 and 36: Basis for action: Our region’s na
Page 37 and 38: Working together to implement the p
Page 39 and 40: eferences Australian Bureau of Stat

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