Have your say on the Draft Rural Land Use Strategy

Submissions closed on 17 September 2021, 12:00 AM

Council is seeking feedback on the draft Rural Land Use Strategy.

The draft Rural Land Use Strategy seeks to update the policy direction for rural land in the Macedon Ranges Shire to account for the changing nature of rural land use, and to account for a range of Council and State Government strategies and changes to regulation made since the previous 2002 Macedon Ranges Rural Land Use Strategy.

The aim of the Strategy is to:

  • develop a vision for land currently in the Farming Zone and Rural Conservation Zone
  • identify important values and features of rural land to be protected and enhanced
  • respond to changes in land use that have occurred over the last 20 years
  • identify mechanisms to foster best practice land management
  • make recommendations for changes to the Planning Scheme that implement the strategy’s recommendations.

Discussions

The Rural Land Use Strategy commenced with the Farming Zone Strategy in 2017, but was expanded to include Rural Conservation Zone in 2019. Land in the Rural Living Zone is not included in the scope of this project as strategic planning for this zone was completed via the In the Rural Living Zone Strategy in 2017.

To inform the strategy and to help us understand the key issues and opportunities in the rural zones, we conducted targeted surveys of all landowners in both the Farming Zone (2017) and Rural Conservation Zone (2019), as well as surveys open to all community members seeking feedback on these areas.

View the results of these surveys:

This feedback was used to inform the development of the draft Rural Land Use Strategy.

These survey results were also used to finalise the two background reports that were prepared earlier. Copies of the Farming Zone Review Research and Investigation Paper(PDF, 10MB) and the Rural Conservation Zone Research and Investigation Report(PDF, 9MB) are also available for download, or to view in hard copy at one of Council’s customer service centres in Gisborne, Kyneton, Romsey or Woodend once the current COVID restrictions are lifted until Monday 30 August 2021.

Draft Rural Land Use Strategy(PDF, 15MB)

Fact sheet series:

Council hosted an online Q and A session on 11 August as part of its community engagement process for the Rural Land Use Strategy.

The forum’s purpose was to support informed community engagement on the draft strategy. By exploring diverse perspectives on rural land use in Macedon Ranges Shire, the project team sought to create a deeper shared understanding of the issues and considerations that have informed the draft strategy.

Moderator Ross Allen led the panel discussion of key questions and themes raised by local landholders and other interested parties. 

Panel members, representing different local interests, shared their perspectives on rural land use in the shire and implications of the draft strategy on local communities, businesses and the environment.

The session was recorded for those unable to attend yet still interested in these issues.

A summary of key Q&A questions and responses unable to be addressed during the session, due to time constraints, is attached for reference(PDF, 410KB) .

Note: Council’s project team remains available to field any follow-up questions before submissions close on 17 September 2021. Please direct any enquiries to strategicplanning@mrsc.vic.gov.au

Contact details

Strategic Planning team
(03) 5422 0333
strategicplanning@mrsc.vic.gov.au

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