The Teesdale Structure Plan (TSP) is a strategic planning document that will guide the long-term growth of Teesdale into the future. Following its public exhibition from November to January, the TSP and Planning Scheme Amendment C92gpla will go to an independent Planning Panel to consider and resolve outstanding objections.
About
The new Teesdale Structure Plan will replace the existing plan, which dates back to 1997. Since then, Teesdale’s population has continued to increase, with the township growing from 1,479 to 1,791 residents between 2011 and 2019.
The Teesdale Structure Plan:
- Builds on and recognises the existing 1997 Teesdale Structure Plan by formalising a growth area to the north-east of the town, initially identified in 1997;
- Encourages residential infill development and commercial development;
- Identifies a number of infrastructure and other projects beneficial to Teesdale that are not already considered in existing Council Strategies; and
- Does not propose any new growth areas outside the existing settlement boundary or any new commercial areas.
The Teesdale Structure Plan is guided by six principles to deliver good planning outcomes for the township: residential development; transport and movement; open space and landscaping; community infrastructure and services; commercial development; and service provision.
The Teesdale Structure Plan is available here.
In order to implement the new Teesdale Structure Plan, Council has developed Amendment C92, which proposes the following changes to the Golden Plains Planning Scheme:
- Modifies Clause 02.04 to remove the 1997 Teesdale Structure Plan map.
Proposed Clause 02.04.
- Inserts a new Clause 11.03-6L (Teesdale) which includes a 2020 Teesdale Structure Plan map and relevant key directions to implement the 2020 Structure Plan.
Proposed Clause 11.03-6L (Teesdale).
- Modifies Clause 02.03-1 to include a new section on Teesdale.
Proposed Clause 02.03-1.
Planning Scheme Amendment C92 documents are available below:
Further supporting documentation are available below:
Engagement Update
At its December meeting, Council adopted the Teesdale Structure Plan. Following adoption by Council, the Teesdale Structure Plan and accompanying Planning Scheme Amendment C92gpla (Amendment C92gpla) were sent to the Victorian Minister for Planning for final approval.
Amendment C92, which recognises the Teesdale Structure Plan (2021) as the document that will guide the growth and development of the town, was approved by the Minister for Planning and came into effect within the Golden Plains Planning Scheme on 30 June 2022.
Past Engagement
In preparing the new plan, Council undertook community consultation during a six week period, from 29 August to 20 October 2019. A total of 198 people completed the online and paper survey, or attended one of the two conversation posts held in the town. The TSP Community Engagement Report is available here. A full version of the infographic below can also be found here.
At its April 2020 Ordinary Meeting, Council endorsed the Teesdale Structure Plan 2020 and authorised the public exhibition of a planning scheme amendment to incorporate the plan into the Golden Plains Shire Planning Scheme. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the exhibition period was delayed, and took place from 26 November 2020 to 25 January 2021. During the public exhibition period, Council held an online drop-in session and two after-hours phone consultation for residents to discuss the plan with Council's Strategic Planning team. The team were also available to speak over the phone during the public exhibition period. At the conclusion of the exhibition period, Council had received 23 submissions from community members, developers and agencies, expressing diverse views on the content of the TSP.
At its March 2021 Meeting, Council approved a number of minor changes to the TSP and Amendment C92gpla based on the feedback it received during the public exhibition process. These changes include:
- Removing the depiction of paths from the TSP Strategic Framework Plan;
- Recognising the importance of preserving agricultural land in decisions to rezone land;
- Explicitly recognise a non-urban break between Bannockburn and Teesdale;
- Adding land west of Teesdale-Lethbridge Road as a reason for exclusion from any rezoning proposal;
- Changing references to ‘buffer’ in relation to the landfill within the North East Growth Precinct with ‘Landfill Investigation Area’;
- Including a Teesdale Stormwater review as a future action; and
- Adding the town boundary to the legend in Amendment C92G
While Council approved these changes, a number of objections to the TSP and Amendment C92gpla remained outstanding. Council requested the Minister for Planning appoint an independent Planning Panel to resolve the outstanding objections. The independent Planning Panel held an online Planning Panel Hearing to consider outstanding objections to Amendment C92gpla in June 2021.
Following the panel’s report, Council made two further changes to the amendment and Teesdale Structure Plan, including a change in terminology for the “North East Growth Precinct” to “Future Growth Investigation Area” and to detail the requirements for the growth investigation, however, disagreed with the Panel’s recommendation for Amendment C92gpla to be abandoned until further analysis work was undertaken.