Contributions encouraged for Neighbourhood Character Strategy

The NCS provides an opportunity to shape and support residential development by identifying preferred character outcomes of the four Service Towns across the Alpine Shire: Bright, Mount Beauty-Tawonga South, Myrtleford and Porepunkah. Service Towns are towns that are connected to reticulated water and wastewater services.

Alpine Shire Mayor, Cr John Forsyth, said that the NCS will provide direction for future planning so that the region maintains its unique qualities.

"The NCS will reflect the features that give our townships their sense of place and community meaning," he said.

"The goal is to provide guidance on future landscape and built form outcomes, including the ways that public areas interact with private land as our townships continue to grow and change." 

The NCS contains nine distinct typologies, which map areas with distinct and measurable character. 

Cr Forsyth encourages residents and ratepayers to contribute to the NCS by engaging in preliminary consultation.  

"The people that know their neighbourhoods best are the ones that live there," he said.  

"We want to know what you value most so that we can paint an accurate image of what neighbourhood character means to you and reflect these values in future development."  

The preliminary consultation is designed to capture views that will inform the draft strategy. Residents and ratepayers of Bright, Mount Beauty-Tawonga South, Myrtleford and Porepunkah are invited to read the Initial Consultation Material and provide feedback via Council's online engagement platform, Engage Alpine.

Community members are also invited to drop in to the Council office in Bright and libraries in Mount Beauty and Myrtleford to provide their feedback with support from staff. 

There will be pop-up information sessions held in the four Service Towns during August. For specifics, including dates, times and locations, visit Engage Alpine.  

Learn more and contribute to the NCS by visiting https://engage.alpineshire.vic.gov.au/neighbourhood-character-strategy  

Submissions close on Sunday, 1 September 2024.