June 6th, 2024Big response to Town Structure Plans
More than 150 people attended a community consultation at the Daylesford Town Hall last Saturday, June 1, over the proposed Hepburn Shire Town Structure Plans.
Among them was farmer Ned Powell, pictured above talking with Hepburn Shire Council Development executive director Ron Torres, who is concerned about the potential rezoning of his East Street, Daylesford farm land to residential.
Mr Powell said it was a shock for his family to discover the move on the draft plan for Daylesford and Hepburn Springs. Mr Powell said his family bought the farm in 1921 and had continuously farmed the property. And he says, despite the potential for profit, they were completely opposed to the idea of rezoning.
Mr Powell is concerned his rates could go up if the land was rezoned and it could also be subject to the state government’s windfall gains tax, introduced last year.
Many people have raised other concerns with The Local including that the plans are rushed, with a deadline of June 12 for community input.
Mayor Cr Brian Hood has said “getting it right is more important than timing”. However the proposed plans are pencilled in to be passed at the August council meeting.
The plans are part of Future Hepburn, which since its start four years ago has cost about $1.3 million. Community sessions on the town structure plans have been held throughout the shire.
Meanwhile, a community-led grass roots movement, Pastures NOT Pavements, has formed with farmers, residents, business owners and “the wider community of people that are concerned about the Daylesford and Hepburn Springs Draft Structure Plan”.
The group says it wants “to preserve active farmland that is essential to maintaining the rural character of our townships and not succumb to unnecessary ‘greenfield development’, because once it’s gone, it’s gone”.
The group wants to stop the rezoning of the East Street farmland, preserve productive agricultural land, protect the Smith’s Creek and farmland water catchment, remove Central Springs Road as a freight spine, support incremental and distributed housing growth within the town boundaries and prevent the business centre and traffic being drawn eastwards.
Link: www.participate.hepburn.vic.gov.au/future-hepburn
Words & image: Donna Kelly
