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guide growth for                                  Riddells Creek

November 30th, 2021guide growth for Riddells Creek

A Precinct Structure Plan for the proposed development of land north of Amess Road will help Council guide future urban growth for the Riddells Creek township.

A Precinct Structure Plan for the proposed development of land north of Amess Road will help Council guide future urban growth for the Riddells Creek township.

Macedon Ranges Shire Council resolved on August 2021 that the current Precinct Structure Plan (PSP) process for the new Amess Road residential area should continue, with Council to consider the rezoning request as the planning authority. Council also resolved to provide the community quarterly updates on the progress of the project. Council’s Manager Strategic Planning and Environment, Rob Ball said Council’s strategic planners would continue to work closely with the applicant – development consortium Sector Advantage – to progress the PSP process over coming months. “A PSP provides a ‘blueprint’ for development and infrastructure investment that will occur over many years by outlining important features of the precinct for local communities such as roads, parks, key transport connections and areas for housing,” Mr Ball said. The Amess Road PSP area covers approximately 100 hectares and is the first PSP proposed within the shire. Preparing and finalising the Amess Road PSP is critical to ensuring Riddells Creek has an adequate supply of land to meet the current and future housing needs of the community. The site has been zoned for urban growth since 2017 when Council and the Minister for Planning identified two future growth areas to the north and south of the existing town. This followed consultation with the community on the Riddells Creek Structure Plan, and the subsequent Planning Scheme Amendment C100. Consultation on a draft urban framework plan for Riddells Creek in 2019, a prelude to the developer’s PCP, attracted 200 public submissions and concerns raised by many landowners and residents
Planning officers advised Council of this consultation feedback in early 2020 and have since continued to work with the developer to refine a draft PSP for the site north of Amess Road. “Completing the PSP process is vital to give everyone a clearer idea of the scale of how this, or other future proposals, might fit in with the identity and neighbourhood character of Riddells Creek and its surrounds,” Mr Ball said. Next steps Council’s strategic planners are working closely with Sector Advantage to finalise technical studies and specifics on how the PSP will ensure an appropriate outcome for the Riddells Creek community. “Some of the key elements will be delivering housing choices, infrastructure, and protecting heritage, character, landscape and environment values,” Mr Ball said. A report on the status of a related project, the Riddells Creek Movement Study—which covers transport and traffic issues—is due to be presented to Council in November 2021. “We are advising the developer to prepare a PSP that responds to the character of Riddells Creek and achieves the best outcome possible for the community, if it is to be approved by Council,” he said. “If Council approves the PSP, further community consultation will be undertaken as part of the Planning Scheme Amendment process.”

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