Major milestone for Future Hepburn project

Published on 24 April 2024

The Future Hepburn project reaches a significant milestone next week with a Special Meeting of Council being held requesting Council to endorse five Township Structure Plans and the Rural Hepburn strategy for a comprehensive six-week community and stakeholder consultation period.

The agenda for the Special Meeting will include the draft Township Structure Plans for Clunes, Creswick, Daylesford and Hepburn Springs, Glenlyon and Trentham, along with the Rural Hepburn: Agricultural Land & Rural Settlement Strategy.

Bradley Thomas, Chief Executive Officer, said that Council has dedicated significant resources to the development of these important plans and strategy. 

“Future Hepburn is a major once-in-a-generation project. It aims to protect and enhance the existing character of our towns and rural settlements through strategic planning controls to help manage future growth and development,” he said.

“The six draft strategy documents have been informed by extensive community input throughout 2023, Council-commissioned specialist technical studies and Council’s specialist officers on planning, ecology, infrastructure, transport, recreation and economic development,” said Mr Thomas.  

The planned phase of community consultation and engagement will help inform the final drafts of the Rural Strategy and five Township Structure Plans, which officers will recommend for Council adoption in the coming months.

“Future Hepburn has been a major undertaking for a small rural Council like ours.  The project was made possible by the commitment of Councillors, community, our technical consultant partners and our incredible staff who have ensured the development of quality strategic planning documents for possible endorsement and community consultation,” said Mr Thomas.

The Special Meeting of Council will be held on Tuesday 30 April from 4.30pm and will be broadcast virtually on Facebook.  There will be no in person attendance.  

If the plans and strategy are endorsed, the documents, key dates in community consultation and feedback mechanisms will be available on our Participate Hepburn site, our Hubs and Libraries and through various other communication channels.

For more information visit https://participate.hepburn.vic.gov.au/future-hepburn

To view the Special Meeting agenda visit https://www.hepburn.vic.gov.au/Council/Council-meetings/Agendas-and-minutes