Grange Planning Brain

title: Bannockburn Growth Plan council: golden-plains state: vic category: growth-area classification: MAJOR status: in-progress last_compiled: 2026-05-30 source_docs:

  • Council Meeting Agenda - 25 Feb 2025.pdf
  • Att 7.5 C105gpla Planning Scheme Amendment Documents.pdf
  • Att 08.09 Growing Places Strategy Draft Text and Maps.pdf
  • Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf

Bannockburn Growth Plan

The Bannockburn Growth Plan is the main land-supply framework for Golden Plains Shire because Bannockburn is identified as the Shire’s largest urban centre, a key south-east service centre, and the settlement where growth is to be accommodated inside the adopted growth boundary. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.251) The available documents show that the Growth Plan is not yet a fully delivered growth-area program: its precincts still require rezoning, precinct or development planning, infrastructure sequencing, and water-cycle integration before the identified housing capacity can become serviced urban land. (Source: Att 08.09 Growing Places Strategy Draft Text and Maps.pdf, p.8; Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.376)

Background

Planning for urban growth around Bannockburn has a long statutory history, with the February 2025 Council agenda recording that the 1977 Bannockburn Structure Plan identified the Ormond Street area as future urban land. (Source: Council Meeting Agenda - 25 Feb 2025.pdf, p.29) The current Growth Plan was introduced into the Golden Plains Planning Scheme by Amendment C94gpla in 2021, where it became a background document for Clauses 02 and 11. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.374) The Planning Scheme Review identifies implementation of the Bannockburn Growth Plan as one of the significant settlement projects completed since the previous review. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf)

The strategic need is land-supply pressure rather than a discretionary expansion: the Planning Scheme Review states that sufficient land has been set aside to meet Shire-wide growth forecasts except in Bannockburn, where rezoning continues to be required to accommodate expected growth under the Growth Plan. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf) The Growing Places Strategy states that the Growth Plan identifies three precincts, South East, North West and South West, estimated to accommodate an additional 18,000 people over a 30-year period, but notes that the land is identified rather than appropriately zoned. (Source: Att 08.09 Growing Places Strategy Draft Text and Maps.pdf, p.8)

Analysis

Land Supply and Housing Capacity

The Growth Plan performs two different land-supply roles: it provides the short-to-medium growth framework for Bannockburn, and it functions as the largest component of Golden Plains Shire’s response to long-term housing targets. (Source: Att 08.09 Growing Places Strategy Draft Text and Maps.pdf, p.24; Source: Att 08.09 Growing Places Strategy Draft Text and Maps.pdf, p.25) The Growing Places Strategy says the Growth Plan will meet the Shire’s predicted growth needs for 15 years under VIF 2023 population estimates. (Source: Att 08.09 Growing Places Strategy Draft Text and Maps.pdf, p.24) It also states that the South East Precinct Structure Plan, North West Development Plan and South West Development Plan can accommodate more than 8,000 homes, while the full Growth Plan including Future Investigation Areas can accommodate 13,000 homes. (Source: Att 08.09 Growing Places Strategy Draft Text and Maps.pdf, p.25)

The mechanism is therefore a staged pipeline rather than a single release of land. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.376) The planning scheme further strategic work program requires precinct structure plans with rezoning for the south-east and south-west precincts, and a development plan with rezoning for the north-west development plan area. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.376) This matters because an identified growth boundary does not itself create residential lots: zoning, overlays, development plans, infrastructure triggers, drainage reservations, transport access, and open-space requirements must be resolved before subdivision can proceed. (Source: Att 7.5 C105gpla Planning Scheme Amendment Documents.pdf; Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.376)

The Growth Plan also sits within a wider housing-target problem. (Source: Att 08.09 Growing Places Strategy Draft Text and Maps.pdf, p.13) The draft Plan Victoria target for Golden Plains is 11,700 new houses by 2050, while the Housing Needs Assessment prepared for the Growing Places Strategy identifies potential demand for 14,770 new houses by 2051. (Source: Att 08.09 Growing Places Strategy Draft Text and Maps.pdf, p.13) If Bannockburn absorbs only the 8,000-home precinct-area capacity, the Shire still requires other serviced locations to carry the balance of the target and any higher-growth scenario. (Source: Att 08.09 Growing Places Strategy Draft Text and Maps.pdf, p.25) If the full 13,000-home Growth Plan capacity is needed, the Future Investigation Areas become material to long-term housing supply before 2050 only in a high-growth scenario. (Source: Att 08.09 Growing Places Strategy Draft Text and Maps.pdf, p.25)

Zoning Lag and Interim Supply Pressure

The strongest evidence of implementation lag is Amendment C105gpla at Ormond Street. (Source: Council Meeting Agenda - 25 Feb 2025.pdf, p.28) That amendment proposes to rezone 16.9 hectares at 5, 20, 25 and 30 Ormond Street from Farming Zone to General Residential Zone 1 and apply Development Plan Overlay Schedule 19. (Source: Att 7.5 C105gpla Planning Scheme Amendment Documents.pdf, p.1) The explanatory report says the land is within the Bannockburn growth boundary and is identified as a future residential growth option. (Source: Att 7.5 C105gpla Planning Scheme Amendment Documents.pdf, p.8)

C105gpla is best understood as an interim supply release beside the larger Growth Plan precinct program. (Source: Council Meeting Agenda - 25 Feb 2025.pdf, p.30) Council officers reported that Amendments C059gpla, C072gpla and C103gpla had provided only 183 additional lots since the 2015 land-supply finding, with average growth of 41.5 lots per year equating to 4.4 years of supply. (Source: Council Meeting Agenda - 25 Feb 2025.pdf, p.30) Officers also reported that the Ormond Street rezoning would add about 170 lots, providing about four additional years of supply while the Bannockburn South East and North West precincts are realised. (Source: Council Meeting Agenda - 25 Feb 2025.pdf, p.30)

The yield mechanics show why small rezonings cannot substitute for precinct planning. (Source: Att 7.5 C105gpla Planning Scheme Amendment Documents.pdf, p.25) DPO19 sets a target density of 15 dwellings per net developable hectare, requires at least 5 percent of net developable area as passive open space, and excludes encumbered land such as future retarding basins, waterway buffers and the Bruce Creek Reserve from public open space credit. (Source: Att 7.5 C105gpla Planning Scheme Amendment Documents.pdf, p.25) That means the nominal 16.9-hectare Ormond Street area does not translate directly into developable housing land, because drainage, creek buffers, bushfire interface treatment, roads and open space all reduce net developable area before the 15 dwellings-per-hectare target is applied. (Source: Att 7.5 C105gpla Planning Scheme Amendment Documents.pdf, p.25)

Infrastructure Dependencies and Sequencing

Reticulated sewerage is the key settlement filter in the available documents. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.258) The Planning Scheme Review states that sewerage systems in the Shire are limited to Woodlands Estate, Bannockburn and Smythesdale, and policy directs development to areas with water and sewerage infrastructure. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.258) The C105gpla report states that Bannockburn is the only town in the south of the Shire with reticulated sewerage and is therefore the only southern town suitable for a diversity of urban densities and social and affordable housing. (Source: Att 7.5 C105gpla Planning Scheme Amendment Documents.pdf, p.4)

Transport is the second binding system. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.376) The planning scheme further strategic work program requires investigation of a second east-west arterial road for Bannockburn to service the growth area and reroute through-freight movements out of the town centre. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.376) It also requires investigation of additional Bruce Creek crossings and modifications to High Street so the town centre becomes more responsive to pedestrian and cycling needs while discouraging through-freight movements. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.376)

The Ormond Street amendment illustrates how these broader network requirements are translated into site-level controls. (Source: Att 7.5 C105gpla Planning Scheme Amendment Documents.pdf, p.23) DPO19 requires a Road Network and Traffic Management Plan that estimates internal and external traffic impacts, provides an internal road network for vehicular and non-vehicular movement, identifies recommended road infrastructure upgrades, constructs perimeter roads on the western, southern and eastern boundaries, and provides an active transport corridor along Bruce Creek. (Source: Att 7.5 C105gpla Planning Scheme Amendment Documents.pdf, p.23) The February 2025 post-exhibition report adds that road-plan changes were recommended to support direct bus-capable north-south and east-west roads, Ormond Street sealing, active transport infrastructure, and early delivery of active transport links. (Source: Council Meeting Agenda - 25 Feb 2025.pdf, pp.32-33)

Water, Drainage and Bruce Creek

The Growth Plan’s environmental mechanism is centred on Bruce Creek, stormwater management and integrated water management. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.261) The Bannockburn local policy requires open space links into the Bruce Creek corridor, walking and cycling trails preferably on the eastern side of Bruce Creek, protection of vistas and visual amenity along the creek environs, and acquisition of land between the tops of the escarpment and the rim of the Bruce Creek valley as public open space. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.261) The same policy requires Integrated Water Management principles in future growth-area planning. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.261)

The February 2025 agenda shows that water-cycle planning has moved from policy principle to implementation tool. (Source: Council Meeting Agenda - 25 Feb 2025.pdf, p.47) Council was asked to adopt the Bannockburn Integrated Water Management Plan, which was prepared to manage urbanisation and population-growth impacts on the water cycle, waterways, landscapes and water security. (Source: Council Meeting Agenda - 25 Feb 2025.pdf, p.47) The IWM Plan identifies critical water service requirements as water supply, sewage management, flood and stormwater management, and public open-space irrigation and maintenance. (Source: Council Meeting Agenda - 25 Feb 2025.pdf, p.48)

The implementation risk is funding and institutional capacity. (Source: Council Meeting Agenda - 25 Feb 2025.pdf, p.52) The agenda states that the IWM Plan was funded by a 70,000 DEECA grant and about 10,000 from Council, that detailed ten-year costings were out of scope, and that Council has no dedicated water or IWM staff resource or budget. (Source: Council Meeting Agenda - 25 Feb 2025.pdf, p.52) The agenda also states that embedding IWM requirements into the South East Bannockburn PSP would allow new IWM infrastructure costs to be addressed through the development process. (Source: Council Meeting Agenda - 25 Feb 2025.pdf, p.52)

Bushfire, Biodiversity and Character Controls

The Growth Plan is constrained by the relationship between settlement expansion and environmental risk. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.251) The planning scheme identifies the Bannockburn Flora and Fauna Reserve as the highest bushfire risk to the Bannockburn Growth Area because of vegetation, aspect, proximity to existing communities and proximity to future growth areas. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.251) The same planning scheme policy requires buffers between vegetation and development, management of interim bushfire hazards during settlement expansion, perimeter roads next to bushfire hazards, and avoidance of vulnerable land uses such as aged care and education near bushfire hazards. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.260)

Character protection is not treated as a reason to stop growth, but as a design condition on growth. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.260) The Bannockburn policy seeks to maintain village character through historic buildings, wide tree-lined avenues, low-scale streetscapes, view corridors to the Shire Hall, rural-interface transitions and subdivision that respects rural character. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.260) The Growing Places Strategy adds that future Bannockburn development should incorporate drystone walls and windbreak tree species because those are predominant town features. (Source: Att 08.09 Growing Places Strategy Draft Text and Maps.pdf, p.24)

Contested Issues

The Growth Plan’s first visible implementation dispute in the supplied sources is C105gpla. (Source: Council Meeting Agenda - 25 Feb 2025.pdf, p.28) During exhibition from 21 November 2024 to 23 December 2024, Council received 10 submissions: two from agencies, four from community organisations, two from neighbouring residents, one from a nearby development proponent and one from a community member. (Source: Council Meeting Agenda - 25 Feb 2025.pdf, p.28) The agency and nearby-proponent submissions were resolved through DPO19 changes and clarification, while submissions from four community groups and one community member remained focused on additional Bruce Creek environmental and cultural heritage protection, and the two neighbour submissions remained unresolved on process and amenity concerns. (Source: Council Meeting Agenda - 25 Feb 2025.pdf, p.28)

The key contested matters were creek buffers, stormwater discharge, environmental duty, Growth Plan consistency, traffic and noise, rural landscape loss, arterial and local road upgrades, public and active transport, Bruce Creek environmental values, public open-space zoning around Bruce Creek, cultural heritage, weed and pest management, and Environmental Significance Overlay conformance. (Source: Council Meeting Agenda - 25 Feb 2025.pdf, pp.31-32) The recommended response was not to abandon the amendment, but to strengthen controls through a minimum 30-metre Bruce Creek buffer, stormwater volume management, peak discharge controls for 10 percent AEP, 5 percent AEP and 1 percent AEP rain events, public-transport-capable road design, active transport links, Ormond Street upgrades, and future Public Park and Recreation Zone work around Bruce Creek. (Source: Council Meeting Agenda - 25 Feb 2025.pdf, pp.32-34)

Current Status

The Growth Plan is adopted policy but remains in staged implementation. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.374; Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.376) As at the 25 February 2025 Council agenda, C105gpla was post-exhibition, officers recommended minor changes, unresolved submissions required referral to an independent Planning Panel, and Council was asked to authorise officers to represent Council at the Panel. (Source: Council Meeting Agenda - 25 Feb 2025.pdf, p.28) As at the same agenda, the Bannockburn IWM Plan was presented for adoption and was intended to support upcoming PSP work, including the South East Bannockburn PSP. (Source: Council Meeting Agenda - 25 Feb 2025.pdf, p.53; Source: Council Meeting Agenda - 25 Feb 2025.pdf, p.52)

Dependencies

  • Blocks: The Growth Plan blocks fragmented or out-of-sequence greenfield expansion because planning scheme policy supports a progressive series of Bannockburn rezonings in line with the Growth Plan. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.259)
  • Blocked by: Delivery is blocked by rezoning, PSP or development-plan preparation, transport investigations, Bruce Creek crossing investigations, drainage and IWM design, bushfire interface controls, and development-contribution frameworks. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.376; Source: Council Meeting Agenda - 25 Feb 2025.pdf, p.52)
  • Informed by: The available documents identify the Bannockburn Growth Plan, the Strategic Bushfire Risk Assessment for the Bannockburn Growth Plan Investigation Area, the Bannockburn Town Centre Investment Strategy and the Bruce’s Creek Master Plan as relevant policy documents. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.261)
  • Implements: The Growth Plan implements the planning scheme direction to accommodate Bannockburn growth within the adopted growth boundary, protect Bruce Creek and other environmental assets, provide an integrated open-space network, and locate and design growth to respond to bushfire risk. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.251)
  • Conflicts with: The implementation program creates tension with rural landscape retention, Bruce Creek protection, stormwater impacts, traffic impacts, and amenity concerns raised through C105gpla submissions. (Source: Council Meeting Agenda - 25 Feb 2025.pdf, pp.31-32)

The Growth Plan is linked to the Geelong and Ballarat regional housing system because the Growing Places Strategy identifies Golden Plains as influenced by proximity to those regional cities and compares the Shire’s draft 11,700-home target with draft targets of 139,800 for Greater Geelong and 46,900 for Ballarat. (Source: Att 08.09 Growing Places Strategy Draft Text and Maps.pdf, p.25) Transport capacity is a regional dependency because the Department of Transport and the City of Greater Geelong advised that the Hamilton and Midland Highways will reach capacity with the planned North Western Geelong Growth Area population and growth at Bannockburn. (Source: Att 08.09 Growing Places Strategy Draft Text and Maps.pdf, p.17) Water governance is also cross-jurisdictional because the Bannockburn IWM Plan was identified by the Barwon IWM Forum as a priority project and reviewed with Barwon Water, DEECA and Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation. (Source: Council Meeting Agenda - 25 Feb 2025.pdf, p.47; Source: Council Meeting Agenda - 25 Feb 2025.pdf, p.49)

Gaps in This Analysis

The most important gap is that the manifest does not include the actual Bannockburn Growth Plan 2021 PDF, even though the planning scheme treats it as a background document and multiple supplied documents rely on it. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.374) This limits analysis of precinct boundaries, gross and net developable areas, land-use budgets, yield assumptions, staging triggers, infrastructure item costs, open-space land take and Future Investigation Area sequencing. (Source: Att 08.09 Growing Places Strategy Draft Text and Maps.pdf, p.25; Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.376)

The second gap is the absence of the South East Bannockburn PSP material, even though Council states PSP work is underway and that IWM requirements are being embedded into that process. (Source: Council Meeting Agenda - 25 Feb 2025.pdf, p.52) This prevents parcel-level analysis of drainage basins, road cross-sections, community infrastructure costs, development-contribution rates and staging dependencies. (Source: Council Meeting Agenda - 25 Feb 2025.pdf, p.52)

The third gap is the absence of the Bannockburn IWM Plan final report and full technical report, both of which were attachments under separate cover to the February 2025 agenda. (Source: Council Meeting Agenda - 25 Feb 2025.pdf, p.47) This means the analysis can identify IWM governance, funding limitations and integration requirements, but cannot quantify water-reuse targets, stormwater asset costs, WSUD asset locations, alternative-water infrastructure or 10-year action costs. (Source: Council Meeting Agenda - 25 Feb 2025.pdf, p.52)

The fourth gap is the absence of the C105gpla technical reports and full submissions. (Source: Council Meeting Agenda - 25 Feb 2025.pdf, p.28) The agenda summarises unresolved issues and recommended DPO19 changes, but without the technical reports and submissions it is not possible to test the adequacy of the 30-metre Bruce Creek buffer, the stormwater modelling assumptions, traffic assumptions, cultural heritage management measures or native vegetation offsets. (Source: Council Meeting Agenda - 25 Feb 2025.pdf, pp.31-34)

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