Cobden planning amendment goes to minister for approval

Published on 07 August 2023

The Cobden Structure Plan 2022 and the Cobden Aerodrome Masterplan 2022 after Corangamite Shire Council adopted Planning Scheme Amendment C59 this month.

At its July meeting, Council adopted the amendment and resolved to submit it to the Minister for Planning for approval.

South Central Ward Councillor Jo Beard said the two-year process had given Council a good grounding to develop comprehensive structure plans for other communities.

“I know we’ve done a couple of other towns but this one has been quite significant for various reasons because we’ve also incorporated the aerodrome master plan.

“The purpose of that master plan was not only setting out the vision and direction for that facility but it was also about protecting it.

“The community wanted to see that facility being protected for years to come and for it to realise its full potential. Being incorporated into this structure plan is going to help us achieve that.

“Council has shown faith in the community and what they’re wanting and that they’ve supported that.

“I really want to take the opportunity to thank the project working group. It was a significant process that we went through and we’ll be doing the same thing in our other communities but it’s important that we get those people that live in those communities to be a part of what we’re actually trying to do in terms of shaping these structure plans.

“The project working group - a lot of them work full-time. It was a voluntary thing they did, helping us in getting the best possible outcome we could.

“I really want to thank those community leaders who stepped up and helped us with that process.

Cr Beard also thanked every community member who engaged with council, including at the three public sessions.

“There was a lot of transparency and engagement with the community so everyone felt part of it,” she said, “which I think was really important so then we all feel like we’ve helped create this document and helped with coming up with the vision of how we want Cobden to look, going forward.”

Cr Beard said there had a lot of interest from developers wanting to create a housing market in Cobden.

“That’s been during this process and we’ve certainly helped them and somewhat streamlined what they would have had to have done on their own,” she said.

“It’s pretty exciting for the Cobden community in that regard.

“We need all our communities to grow and this is one way we can facilitate that growth.”

Manager Planning and Building Services Aaron Moyne said the amendment was prepared following comprehensive technical and planning assessments, community and stakeholder input and review by the Project Working Group..

“The Cobden Structure Plan is a key strategic plan for Cobden’s future, providing a long-term land use planning framework for Cobden over a 15-20 year horizon,” Mr Moyne said.

“The Cobden Structure Plan places a strong focus on enabling and facilitating the delivery of available, market-ready land to cater for new housing and population growth.

“The Cobden Aerodrome Masterplan 2022 sets out the long-term vision and operations of Cobden Aerodrome. Protection of the aerodrome is incorporated into the Cobden Structure Plan.”