New burb for Bannockburn

Huge residential development planned for town’s south

GOLDEN Plains Shire has teamed up with the Victorian Planning Authority to announce what will essentially become a new suburb of Bannockburn.

Part of what will become the Bannockburn Growth Plan and set to start on the land along Burnside Road south of Charlton Road, the project could ultimately accommodate 7000 new homes and up to 17,000 people.

Shire mayor Cr Owen Sharkey said the new residential area reflected the increasing population in the municipality’s south that’s seen the region become one of the fastest growing in the state.

“With eight-and-a-half per cent growth each year we have to hit the boundaries at some stage,” he said. “With this land opening up there’s some fantastic opportunities for people to move out to Bannockburn.

“We’re going to be the size of Colac soon.”

While many residential developments are overseen exclusively by councils, by working with the VPA issues like external infrastructure and community needs could be better accommodated.

As part of the grant from the planning authority, an urban planner will work with the Shire’s team to develop overall plans for the area.

“This whole project is beyond council and this is why we’ve partnered with the VPA to manage,” Cr Sharkey said.

VPA CEO Stuart Moseley said helping municipalities like Golden Plains get new developments right was what the department did.

“Our role is to work with council’s experiencing growth opportunities and in regional Victoria it’s the major regional cities and the peri-urban towns like Bannockburn,” he said.

“There’s a great opportunity to partner with the council to set the pro-active framework for growth.”

Along with the urban planner based in the municipality, the VPA will also provide money for community consultation that will be undertaken by the Shire.

That process includes elements of what the community might want to see as part of the development, like ways of making sure that there’s enough schools, roads and other infrastructure to accommodate up to 17,000 new residents.

“They are all the things that are going to come through the community consultation and help identify those needs and wants,” Cr Sharkey said.

Once the community consultation is done and plans are being drawn up, Mr Mosley said part of his department’s role was long term thinking and bringing in other government agencies to ensure better outcomes than if the council was left to go it alone.

“The first thing we do is make sure those infrastructure needs are understood and what the solutions are. Where do we need to reserve land for schools, parks, recreation? Where do we get the right connections for water, gas, power, sewer?” he said.

“Once we understand those questions, we then do the more detailed structure plan which says where will the houses go, where’s the land for industry and shops, and how does it all fit together?

“Without that you don’t get the legacy for the community. You don’t get open spaces protected and preserved, economic and efficient infrastructure connections, or funding for things like a roundabout that serves a large development area.

“We can get those funding solutions in place. It’s about getting the best result for the community.”

It’s expected that Golden Plains Shire will begin the community consultation and feedback process in March this year. There is currently no start date on when construction in the area will begin.