Northern Towns Growth Plan Project

Colac Otway Shire Council (Council) has commissioned a review of growth potential for small towns north of Colac, including Alvie, Beeac, Coragulac, Cororooke and Cressy.

In 2011, Council adopted the Rural Living Strategy to provide a land use framework to guide the current and future management of rural living land and rural settlements throughout the Shire.  The Rural Living Strategy identified some of these smaller townships as having opportunities for residential growth as they were within some of the least constrained geographic regions of the Shire.  The Rural Living Strategy supported further strategic assessment of the growth potential of these northern towns.

 

The primary objectives of the Northern Towns Growth Plan project are to:

• Provide an update to the work undertaken in the Rural Living Strategy and establish separate growth plans for each town.
• If appropriate, provide the basis for a planning scheme amendment to rezone land for residential development to increase residential housing supply close to Colac (potentially addressing affordable housing for workers of Colac’s large employers).
• Resolve issues experienced with the implementation of the Restructure Overlay at Cressy.

   

  As a first step a background report will be prepared.  The purpose of the background report is to present:

• An update on the implementation of the Rural Living Strategy.
• An overview of the current land use planning and policy framework as it applies to each of the five townships, including identification of issues associated with the application of the Restructure Overlay in Cressy.
• A residential land supply and demand analysis for the Study Area.
• An exploration of the parameters that will guide future growth locations (if appropriate).

 

Council is committed to working with the community and other stakeholders in developing the Northern Towns Growth Plan.  This report is intended to be a starting point for community discussions in developing the Growth Plan.