Grange Planning Brain

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

  • Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf

Bannockburn South West Precinct Structure Plan

The Bannockburn South West Precinct Structure Plan is an identified future planning task for one of the urban growth precincts shown in the Bannockburn Growth Plan, rather than a fully evidenced PSP in the supplied corpus. The available evidence shows that Bannockburn is the only settlement in Golden Plains Shire where further residential rezoning is still required to accommodate expected growth, and that precinct structure planning is intended to occur in conjunction with rezoning for the south east and south west growth precincts. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.10) (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.129)

Background

Golden Plains Shire grew from just over 23,000 people in 2018 to 24,985 people in 2021, and the Planning Scheme Review attributes this growth pressure to the Shire’s proximity to Melbourne, Geelong and Ballarat. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.10) The review states that sufficient land has been set aside to meet growth forecasts across the Shire except in Bannockburn, where rezoning continues to be required to accommodate expected future growth identified in the Bannockburn Growth Plan. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.10)

Bannockburn is described in the planning scheme material as the largest urban centre in Golden Plains Shire and a key regional centre serving residential, commercial and administrative functions. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.4) The town’s recent growth is linked to sewering, rural ambience and proximity to Geelong, but that same growth is identified as creating pressure on the town character that makes Bannockburn attractive. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.4)

Amendment C94gpla, gazetted on 17 September 2021, updated the Municipal Planning Strategy and Planning Policy Framework to facilitate future urban growth in Bannockburn in accordance with the Bannockburn Growth Plan, and made the Bannockburn Growth Plan a background document in the Golden Plains Planning Scheme. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.202) The Schedule to Clause 72.08 lists the Bannockburn Growth Plan as a background document for Clauses 02 and 11. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.127)

Analysis

Planning Mechanism and Statutory Position

The South West PSP is not presented in the supplied document as an adopted PSP, exhibited PSP, amendment package, or incorporated plan. Instead, it appears as a further strategic work requirement: prepare precinct structure plans in conjunction with rezoning land to facilitate urban development in the south east and south west precincts identified in the Bannockburn Growth Plan. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.129)

The mechanism is sequential. First, the Bannockburn Growth Plan provides the strategic growth boundary and precinct framework; second, precinct structure planning is required for the south east and south west precincts; third, rezoning is expected to occur with that precinct-level planning rather than as isolated greenfield rezonings. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.129) This matters because the planning scheme also supports a progressive series of land rezonings within Bannockburn in line with the Bannockburn Growth Plan, while discouraging greenfield rezoning where urban-zoned land is already available. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.12)

The practical effect is that the South West precinct should not be treated as a simple rezoning area. The review points toward a structure-planned rezoning pathway, where land use, movement, bushfire, drainage, open space, servicing and staging are resolved together before urban development is facilitated. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.13) (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.129)

Growth Role and Settlement Logic

The settlement policy directs residential development primarily to Smythesdale in the north-west and Bannockburn in the south-east. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.3) Bannockburn therefore carries a municipal growth role, not merely a local township-expansion role. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.3)

Planning permit activity reinforces Bannockburn’s weight in the Shire’s planning workload. Between 2018 and 2021, Council processed 1,804 planning permit applications, and 381 of those applications related to Bannockburn, representing 21.12 per cent of the municipal total. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.232) The same dataset shows Teesdale accounted for 193 applications, or 10.70 per cent, over the same period. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.230) This means Bannockburn generated about twice Teesdale’s planning permit volume during the review period, which is consistent with its role as the Shire’s largest settlement and primary south-east growth focus. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.230) (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.232)

The South West precinct should therefore be understood as part of a broader settlement-management task: accommodating growth inside the Bannockburn growth boundary while maintaining a clear distinction between urban and rural areas. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.3) The planning scheme specifically seeks to accommodate all Bannockburn growth within the growth boundary identified in the Bannockburn Growth Plan. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.4)

Infrastructure Dependencies and Staging

The strongest infrastructure dependency identified in the supplied source is movement. The planning scheme seeks to deliver a second arterial road to support Bannockburn’s growth and enable more efficient through-freight movements. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.13) Clause 74.02 also identifies further work to investigate a second east-west arterial road for Bannockburn with the dual purpose of servicing the growth area and re-routing through-freight vehicles out of the town centre. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.129)

Bruce’s Creek is a second movement and open-space dependency. Bannockburn policy supports developing Milton Street as a future road link across Bruce’s Creek to serve future residential areas west of Bannockburn. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.12) Clause 74.02 separately identifies the need to investigate additional crossing points over Bruce’s Creek to facilitate east-west movement across Bannockburn. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.129)

Water and sewer are also binding settlement filters. The planning scheme states that development should be directed to areas with access to water and sewerage infrastructure, and that the Shire’s sewerage systems are limited to Woodlands Estate near Enfield, Bannockburn and Smythesdale. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.10) Because Bannockburn is already sewered, the South West precinct starts from a stronger servicing position than unsewered townships, but the supplied source does not quantify available sewer capacity, required augmentations, water pressure constraints, pump-station needs, or delivery timing. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.10)

The review identifies that infrastructure guidance for new large subdivisions should be clearer and may need to rely more on VPA Precinct Structure Plan Guidelines than the Infrastructure Design Manual. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.26) This is important for the South West precinct because the review treats the precinct as a PSP-level planning exercise, and a PSP-level exercise normally needs a coordinated infrastructure schedule rather than relying only on subdivision-by-subdivision permit conditions. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.26) (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.129)

Bushfire, Environment and Open Space

The Bannockburn Flora and Fauna Reserve is identified as presenting the highest bushfire risk to the Bannockburn Growth Area because of vegetation, aspect, and proximity to existing communities and future growth areas. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.4) The township’s bushfire risk is also affected by surrounding grasslands and the nearby Inverleigh Nature Conservation Reserve. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.4)

The planning response is not simply to identify a hazard; it requires subdivision and land-use layout to manage exposure. Bannockburn policy requires existing and future bushfire hazards to be identified, buffers between vegetation and development to be provided and managed, and interim bushfire hazards during settlement expansion to be managed. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.12) The same policy directs vulnerable uses, including residential aged care facilities and education centres, away from bushfire hazards, particularly the Bannockburn Flora and Fauna Reserve. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.13)

Bruce’s Creek is both a constraint and an organising feature for the precinct structure planning task. The planning scheme seeks to protect and regenerate native vegetation and significant trees in the Bruce’s Creek environs, manage vegetation so bushfire risks are not increased over time, support Bruce’s Creek as an active transport corridor, and facilitate open-space connections into the creek corridor. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.14) The policy also seeks acquisition of land between the tops of the escarpment and the rim of the Bruce’s Creek valley as public open space, which means the PSP will need to translate a broad environmental and landscape objective into cadastral land-take, open-space staging and delivery responsibilities. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.14)

Integrated water management is expressly required in planning future growth areas, and open space and drainage assets are expected to perform both recreational and environmental functions. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.14) The supplied source does not identify retarding basin locations, wetland areas, drainage catchments, flood modelling, or land-take calculations for the South West precinct. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.14)

Activity Centres, Housing Diversity and Character

Bannockburn Town Centre is identified as the primary location for retail floorspace in Bannockburn, with a supplementary retail centre to be provided in the location supported by the Bannockburn Framework Plan. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.12) At the municipal level, Bannockburn is classified as the Shire’s sub-regional commercial and retail centre, intended to provide higher-order and speciality commercial and retail development for the south-east portion of the Shire. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.9)

This means the South West PSP should not be assessed only by residential yield. Its relationship to the town centre, any supplementary retail location, active transport links, and community facilities will affect whether growth reinforces Bannockburn’s settlement structure or disperses trips and services. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.9) (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.12)

The planning scheme supports medium density housing in locations close to retail and community facilities. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.12) The South West PSP therefore has a policy basis for differentiated housing form near services, but the supplied source does not provide a land-use budget, density target, housing yield, affordable-housing target, or neighbourhood-centre catchment analysis. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.12)

The character test is explicit. Bannockburn policy seeks to maintain village character by protecting historic buildings, wide tree-lined avenues and low-scale streetscapes, providing walking and cycling linkages, maintaining view corridors to the Shire Hall, and ensuring residential subdivision respects rural character. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.13) This creates a design-management task for the PSP: growth must be accommodated inside the growth boundary, but the form of growth must still respond to the rural interface, town character and movement network. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.4) (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.13)

Delivery Risks

The principal risk is evidence risk. The Planning Scheme Review identifies the need for PSPs for the south east and south west precincts, but the supplied source does not include the South West PSP, a draft PSP, a development contributions plan, infrastructure schedule, transport assessment, drainage assessment, bushfire assessment specific to the precinct, servicing advice, land capability assessment, cultural heritage assessment, biodiversity assessment, or submissions. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.129)

A second risk is sequencing risk. The review identifies multiple transport investigations that relate to Bannockburn’s growth, including the second east-west arterial road, additional Bruce’s Creek crossings, and High Street modifications to improve pedestrian and cycling conditions and discourage through-freight movements. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.129) If these movement items are not resolved before rezoning, later subdivision stages may rely on piecemeal road upgrades rather than an integrated network. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.129)

A third risk is interface risk. Bannockburn policy requires buffers to surrounding agricultural uses, transport corridors and utilities infrastructure, and compatible non-sensitive uses within those buffers. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.12) Without a precinct plan showing buffer locations and land-use transitions, the growth boundary alone does not resolve how future residential development will meet rural-interface, freight, utility and bushfire constraints. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.12)

Current Status

The supplied source shows the South West precinct as a further strategic work item requiring preparation of a precinct structure plan in conjunction with rezoning. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.129) The supplied source does not show that a South West PSP has been completed, exhibited, adopted, approved, or gazetted. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.129)

Dependencies

  • Blocks: Urban rezoning for the Bannockburn South West growth precinct should not proceed as an isolated zoning exercise because Clause 74.02 identifies precinct structure planning as occurring in conjunction with rezoning for the south east and south west precincts. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.129)
  • Blocked by: The precinct depends on PSP-level work, including resolution of the second east-west arterial road, Bruce’s Creek crossings, integrated water management, bushfire-responsive layout, buffers to agriculture and infrastructure, and open-space connections. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.12) (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.14) (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.129)
  • Informed by: The planning scheme lists the Bannockburn Growth Plan, the Strategic Bushfire Risk Assessment for the Bannockburn Growth Plan Investigation Area, the Bannockburn Town Centre Investment Strategy, the Bruce’s Creek Master Plan, the Golden Plains Heritage Study Stage 2, the Bannockburn Framework Plan and the Bannockburn Land Use Precinct Plan as relevant policy documents for Bannockburn. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.14)
  • Implements: The South West PSP implements the Bannockburn Growth Plan pathway introduced into the planning scheme by Amendment C94gpla. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.202)
  • Conflicts with: The supplied source does not identify a direct policy conflict, but it does identify planning tensions that the PSP must manage, including growth pressure, town character, bushfire exposure, rural-interface buffers, and through-freight movement. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.4) (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.12) (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.13)

Bannockburn’s growth role is tied to its proximity to Geelong, and the Planning Scheme Review identifies the Geelong Bypass as a factor that opened a new catchment from Melbourne’s western suburbs. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.2) The settlement framework also seeks to maintain an urban break between Geelong, Bannockburn, Batesford and Inverleigh. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.12)

The south-east area of Golden Plains Shire is described as being within both the Geelong and wider Melbourne metropolitan spheres, with the Geelong bypass increasing the rate of change and pressure to provide land for urban and rural residential development. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.3) This means the South West PSP sits within a cross-boundary growth system influenced by Geelong access, Melbourne commuting patterns, state highway movement and the maintenance of non-urban breaks. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.3) (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.12)

Gaps in This Analysis

This analysis is constrained because the supplied corpus contains only the Planning Scheme Review and not the Bannockburn Growth Plan itself, even though the review identifies the Bannockburn Growth Plan as the key source for the growth boundary and south west precinct. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.10) (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.129)

The most important missing document is the Bannockburn Growth Plan, because it likely contains the precinct boundaries, land-use framework, growth sequencing, and spatial relationship between the south west, south east and north west development areas. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.129)

The next critical gap is the Strategic Bushfire Risk Assessment for the Bannockburn Growth Plan Investigation Area, because the planning scheme identifies the Bannockburn Flora and Fauna Reserve as the highest bushfire risk to the growth area and lists that bushfire assessment as a relevant policy document. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.4) (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.14)

Further missing evidence includes a South West PSP plan, amendment documentation, land-use budget, transport assessment, development contributions plan, drainage and integrated water management report, servicing advice from Barwon Water or Central Highlands Water, biodiversity assessment, cultural heritage assessment, open-space delivery plan, and public submissions. The supplied source establishes that these themes matter for Bannockburn growth planning, but it does not quantify South West precinct land-take, lot yield, infrastructure cost, staging triggers, development contributions, or unresolved submissions. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.12) (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.13) (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.14) (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf, p.129)

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