title: Inverleigh Structure Plan and Framework Plan council: golden-plains state: vic category: growth-area classification: MAJOR status: active last_compiled: 2026-05-30 source_docs:
- PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf
- Att 7.8.1 Tracks and Trails Strategy 2023-2033.pdf
- Att 7.5 - GPS_Tracks and Trails Strategy_Draft Report_Summary_Nov23.pdf
- Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf
- Att 7.6.5 - Golden Plains C102gpla Ordinance Combined_1.pdf
- Att 7.6.6 - Golden Plains C102gpla Ordinance Track Changes Combined.pdf
- GPSC_AR_2020_21.pdf
Inverleigh Structure Plan and Framework Plan
The Inverleigh Structure Plan and Framework Plan function as a controlled-growth framework for a small township under pressure from Geelong- and Melbourne-related residential demand, while limiting growth around flooding, onsite wastewater, biodiversity, bushfire, rural character and access constraints. (Source: Att 7.6.5 - Golden Plains C102gpla Ordinance Combined_1.pdf) The current implementation test is the proposed Amendment C98gpla and planning permit P21334 for 60 Terrier Road and 9 Mahers Road, which would rezone about 33 hectares from Farming Zone to Low Density Residential Zone and enable 56 low-density residential lots at the western edge of the Inverleigh settlement boundary. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, p.19)
Background
Inverleigh is located about 30 kilometres west of Geelong and 10 kilometres south-west of Bannockburn, on the Hamilton Highway at the junction of the Leigh and Barwon Rivers. (Source: Att 7.6.5 - Golden Plains C102gpla Ordinance Combined_1.pdf) The planning scheme describes the town as having environmental, rural landscape, riverside, historical and cultural values, with the Inverleigh Flora and Fauna Reserve identified as a grassy woodland conservation area that also creates a bushfire interface for adjoining land. (Source: Att 7.6.5 - Golden Plains C102gpla Ordinance Combined_1.pdf)
The structure plan problem is simple: the old town cannot absorb much additional housing because flooding and limited effluent-disposal capacity constrain smaller-lot development near the centre. (Source: Att 7.6.5 - Golden Plains C102gpla Ordinance Combined_1.pdf) The policy response is to direct moderate residential growth to areas outside the floodplain, particularly west and north of the town, while keeping that growth inside the settlement boundary shown on the Inverleigh Framework Plan. (Source: Att 7.6.5 - Golden Plains C102gpla Ordinance Combined_1.pdf)
The Inverleigh Structure Plan is recognised in the planning scheme as a policy document introduced through Amendment C87gpla and relevant to Clauses 02 and 11. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf) The C102gpla ordinance material translates the Inverleigh framework into Clause 11.03-6L-03, which applies to land inside the settlement boundary on the Inverleigh Framework Plan. (Source: Att 7.6.5 - Golden Plains C102gpla Ordinance Combined_1.pdf) The planning scheme review also identifies further strategic work for Inverleigh, including traffic/access work, a potential third road link between Common Road and Hamilton Highway, and upgrades affecting Teesdale Road, Peel Road, Common Road and the Hamilton Highway when eastern Common Road rezonings are considered. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf)
Analysis
Settlement Role and Growth Mechanism
The structure plan does not operate like a broad urban expansion program; it works more like a gate system. Growth is supported where land sits inside the Inverleigh settlement boundary, where environmental constraints can be managed, and where low-density lots can treat wastewater onsite because reticulated sewerage is not available. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, p.31) The Panel for Amendment C87gpla noted that Inverleigh was not serviced by reticulated sewerage and that there appeared to be no short- to medium-term prospect of sewerage being provided, which limited smaller-lot housing close to the centre. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, p.31)
The practical effect is that Low Density Residential Zone becomes the main growth tool. The April 2024 council agenda states that, in the absence of sewerage and given flood constraints, LDRZ is one of the few zones available to increase lot supply in Inverleigh. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, p.31) Clause 32.03 requires unsewered LDRZ lots to be at least 0.4 hectares unless a larger minimum is specified, and the C98gpla proposal uses a 56-lot layout with most lots at or near that 0.4 hectare minimum. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, p.31)
This creates a low-density growth pattern rather than a compact township expansion. The 33-hectare C98gpla site would produce 56 lots, which is an average gross yield of about 1.7 lots per hectare before accounting for roads, drainage reserves, open space and constrained land. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, p.20) That yield is consistent with an unsewered settlement model but it also means each growth front consumes land slowly and requires careful staging of roads, drainage, open space, bushfire buffers and wastewater envelopes. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, pp.20-21)
Land Supply and Timing
The April 2024 agenda identifies a strong near-term land-supply pressure in Inverleigh. Council records cited in the report show 22 new LDRZ lots in 2021, 42 in 2022, 96 in 2023, and 8 in January-February 2024, with a 2024 projection of 48 new lots if the early-year rate continued. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, p.23) Building permits in the Inverleigh LDRZ increased from 7 in 2021 to 22 in 2022 and 25 in 2023, with 6 permits issued in January-February 2024 and a projection of 36 for the full year. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, p.23)
The report states that Inverleigh had 267 zoned LDRZ lots remaining and no other rezoning applications for LDRZ greenfield land in the pipeline at that time. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, p.24) At an average of 23 LDRZ houses per year, that was estimated as 11-12 years of supply; at about 30 houses per year, it would fall to about 9 years. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, p.24) Because rezoning can take 3-5 years, the report characterises the supply position as becoming deficient if additional land is not progressed before existing zoned lots are absorbed. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, p.24)
C98gpla would add 56 lots, which is material for Inverleigh but not transformative at the municipal scale. The agenda notes that the 56 proposed lots are fewer than the 96 LDRZ lots created in Inverleigh in 2023. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, p.24) The township-level effect is therefore to extend supply and unlock infrastructure to the western settlement boundary, rather than to create a new self-contained neighbourhood with urban-density services. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, p.42)
South-West Inverleigh as an Implementation Test
The C98gpla land is on the south-east corner of Mahers Road and Hamilton Highway, is about 33 hectares, and is identified as part of the Future Investigation Area on the Inverleigh Framework Plan. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, p.19) The land east and south of the site is also identified as Future Investigation Area, but the agenda notes that those holdings are fragmented and that the C98gpla proposal could act as a catalyst for growth between the existing township and the western edge of the settlement boundary. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, p.19)
The mechanism is infrastructure extension. The agenda states that residential infill in the south-west investigation area has been inactive because servicing costs and fragmented ownership make coordinated rezoning difficult. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, p.23) By servicing the outer edge first, C98gpla may reduce the cost and coordination barrier for intervening parcels between the town and the site. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, p.23) That is why the proposal matters beyond its own 56 lots: it could change the practical sequencing of the western growth area. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, p.23)
This sequencing is not risk-free. The land is about 1,800 metres from the established village centre, so the structure plan’s connectivity policies become essential rather than cosmetic. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, p.22) Clause 11.03-6L-03 requires walking and cycling links to the town centre, primary school, recreation reserve, open space and other key destinations, and also seeks a bridle path network around the town and through the river environs. (Source: Att 7.6.5 - Golden Plains C102gpla Ordinance Combined_1.pdf) Without those links, the western edge could function as a separated low-density pod rather than an integrated extension of Inverleigh. (Source: Att 7.6.5 - Golden Plains C102gpla Ordinance Combined_1.pdf)
Wastewater, Sewerage and Lot Size
Wastewater is the binding infrastructure constraint. Clause 11.03-6L-03 supports the establishment of reticulated sewerage in Inverleigh, but the C87gpla Panel material quoted in the April 2024 agenda states that there was no short- to medium-term prospect of sewerage. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, p.31) This means that near-term growth depends on lots being large enough to treat and retain wastewater onsite. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, p.31)
The C98gpla application is supported by a Land Capability Report that Council says demonstrates each proposed lot can treat and retain wastewater onsite. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, p.31) Existing Inverleigh development plan overlays show the same recurring requirement: Common Road, Faulkner Road, Barrabool Views, 385 Common Road and Barrabool Views North all require land capability assessment or onsite wastewater management evidence before subdivision proceeds. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf) The repeated control shows that wastewater is not a site-specific issue; it is a town-wide growth filter. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf)
The consequence is a structural trade-off. Larger lots make onsite wastewater feasible, but larger lots reduce housing yield per hectare and extend the footprint needed to satisfy demand. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, p.31) If reticulated sewerage is not delivered, Inverleigh’s moderate-growth pathway will remain tied to LDRZ or similar low-density forms rather than smaller-lot township housing. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, p.31)
Flooding, Drainage and Waterway Protection
Flood risk is the second major filter. The planning scheme states that the old town has limited opportunity for new residential development because of flooding and limited effluent-disposal capacity. (Source: Att 7.6.5 - Golden Plains C102gpla Ordinance Combined_1.pdf) The C98gpla site itself is generally flat and subject to flooding, although the western and southern portions are slightly elevated and outside the floodway. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, p.19)
The C98gpla design response is to keep buildings, sheds and access points outside flood-affected areas through building envelopes and larger lots in constrained areas. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, pp.32-34) The proposal also relies on a floodway easement over adjoining lots 34 and 35 Terrier Road so natural floodwaters can continue to flow through the land. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, p.34) That easement is therefore a downstream dependency: if the adjoining drainage arrangement is not secured, the subdivision’s flood-management logic is weakened. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, p.34)
The stormwater system proposed for C98gpla includes grassed swales in public road reserves, private drainage easements, and a single end-of-line detention basin, wetland and retarding basin in an 8,820 square metre drainage reserve on adjoining lots 34 and 35 Terrier Road. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, p.37) This means part of the infrastructure needed to service the subdivision is physically located outside the main rezoning land. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, p.37) The proposed section 173 agreement tying the retarding basin and easement to P21334 is therefore a critical implementation control. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, p.37)
Biodiversity, Salinity and Bushfire Constraints
The C98gpla site includes a seasonal herbaceous wetland assessed as a significant Ecological Vegetation Community, scattered trees, planted shelter belts, farm dams and flood-prone land. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, p.19) The proposal retains the Plains Grassy Wetland as a design outcome but also seeks to remove about 1.374 hectares of native vegetation and one large tree. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, pp.21, 35) The required native vegetation offset is identified as 0.195 general habitat units within the Corangamite Catchment Management Authority area or Golden Plains Shire, with a minimum strategic biodiversity value score of 0.288 and one large tree offset. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, p.36)
The site is partly affected by the Salinity Management Overlay. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, p.34) DEECA advice cited in the agenda says the site is mapped under the overlay but is not recorded for primary or secondary salinity on the CCMA Soil Health Knowledge Base, and recommends that builders and developers consider soil and groundwater salinity risks for underground infrastructure and landscaping. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, p.35)
Bushfire is managed through setbacks and staging. Clause 11.03-6L-03 requires setbacks between development and the Inverleigh Flora and Fauna Reserve, Inverleigh Golf Course and new bio-links, and it seeks to stage development adjacent to built-up areas first to reduce bushfire risk. (Source: Att 7.6.5 - Golden Plains C102gpla Ordinance Combined_1.pdf) C98gpla includes defendable-space setbacks along Mahers Road and design controls in draft permit conditions. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, pp.21, 32) Other Inverleigh DPO schedules require 30 metre fire buffers, BAL-12.5 construction outcomes, perimeter roads, and access arrangements to support movement away from bushfire risk near the Inverleigh Golf Course and Nature Conservation Reserve. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf)
Movement, Access and Development Contributions
The movement network is a structure-plan dependency, not just a subdivision detail. Clause 11.03-6L-03 calls for walking, cycling and bridle-path networks that connect the town centre, primary school, recreation reserve, river environs, Victoria Park and other destinations. (Source: Att 7.6.5 - Golden Plains C102gpla Ordinance Combined_1.pdf) C98gpla responds with 25 metre road reserves, open swale drains, street trees, linear open space, pedestrian and cycling links, and horse-riding trail connections. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, pp.21, 31)
The road-access issue is more complex because the site adjoins the Hamilton Highway, which is in Transport Zone 2. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, p.37) The proposal includes alteration of access from Mahers Road to the Hamilton Highway, a Traffic Impact Assessment referred to the Department of Transport, and a significant Hamilton Highway/Mahers Road intersection upgrade to be delivered as works in kind. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, pp.21, 37, 40)
The planning scheme review identifies a wider Inverleigh access program: prepare a Traffic Impact Assessment Report and Overall Access Strategy to determine road-work contributions, determine the feasibility of a third road link from Common Road to Hamilton Highway, and investigate Teesdale Road/twin bridges and Peel Road/Common Road/Hamilton Highway upgrades when eastern Common Road rezoning is considered. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf) The review’s prioritisation table states that the development contributions assessment and the Inverleigh Structure Plan deal with the traffic contribution issue as land is developed, while the third road-link project was marked completed and to be considered through relevant ISP precinct access requirements. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf)
For C98gpla, Council is not proposing a formal Development Contributions Plan. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, p.39) Instead, a section 173 agreement would collect a calculated charge of $22,720.89 per net developable hectare, excluding drainage, based on the Inverleigh Development Contributions Assessment prepared by Mesh Planning in October 2022. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, p.39) Items already agreed as works in kind, including the Hamilton Highway/Mahers Road intersection upgrade, are excluded from the cash contribution calculation. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, p.40)
Open Space and Trails
The structure plan embeds open space and active transport as part of the settlement framework. Clause 11.03-6L-03 seeks public open space along the Leigh River, linear pedestrian access to the town centre, integration of bio-links and open space networks, walking and cycling links, and a bridle-path network. (Source: Att 7.6.5 - Golden Plains C102gpla Ordinance Combined_1.pdf) C98gpla includes a 5 percent public open space contribution and linear reserves intended to provide pedestrian and bridle-path access. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, pp.20, 37)
The Tracks and Trails Strategy reinforces the structure plan’s movement logic. It identifies 36 existing trails and 18 future track and trail opportunities across the Shire. (Source: Att 7.8.1 Tracks and Trails Strategy 2023-2033.pdf, p.4) Inverleigh-specific existing trail actions include the Inverleigh Flora Loop at 10 kilometres, Kangaroo Track via Links Track Loop at 4.3 kilometres, River Track at 2.3 kilometres, and Leigh River and Barwon Junction River Trails at 3 kilometres. (Source: Att 7.8.1 Tracks and Trails Strategy 2023-2033.pdf, p.25) New or extended trail actions include a 15 kilometre Inverleigh-to-Bannockburn multi-use trail and a 1.3 kilometre Leigh/Barwon River Junction Trail extension to connect Berthon Park subdivision and the Inverleigh Nature Conservation Reserve. (Source: Att 7.8.1 Tracks and Trails Strategy 2023-2033.pdf, pp.27-28)
The trail program is not fully funded. The final Tracks and Trails Strategy states that implementation has not been funded and will rely on Council budget cycles and external funding. (Source: Att 7.8.1 Tracks and Trails Strategy 2023-2033.pdf, p.31) The draft strategy contains the same funding dependency. (Source: Att 7.5 - GPS_Tracks and Trails Strategy_Draft Report_Summary_Nov23.pdf, p.31) This matters because the Inverleigh Framework Plan’s connectivity objectives depend on both subdivision-delivered local links and broader Council-led trail delivery. (Source: Att 7.8.1 Tracks and Trails Strategy 2023-2033.pdf, p.31)
Statutory Controls and Implementation Instruments
The statutory system uses several layered controls to implement the structure plan. Clause 11.03-6L-03 sets the policy objective for Inverleigh and applies to land inside the Inverleigh Framework Plan settlement boundary. (Source: Att 7.6.5 - Golden Plains C102gpla Ordinance Combined_1.pdf) The Low Density Residential Subdivision policy at Clause 15.01-3L requires subdivision to respect local lot configuration and character, retain open and spacious character, avoid battleaxe lots, provide generous landscaping, and ensure infrastructure including roads and drainage is available at subdivision. (Source: Att 7.6.5 - Golden Plains C102gpla Ordinance Combined_1.pdf)
Existing Inverleigh DPO schedules show how site-specific implementation works. DPO7 for Common Road requires sealed roads, a footpath, Common Road upgrade to a 6.2 metre seal width, open space transfer along the Leigh River escarpment, wastewater assessment, stormwater management, archaeological survey, flora and fauna management, building and effluent envelopes, and road/cycle/pedestrian links. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf) DPO8 for Faulkner Road has similar requirements for sealed roads, road upgrades, wastewater, stormwater, archaeology, flora and fauna, open space, envelopes, landscaping and links. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf)
C98gpla would add DPO18 for south-west Inverleigh as a precaution if the concurrent permit lapses. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, p.40) That means the structure plan is being implemented through a combined rezoning/permit pathway first, with an overlay backstop to preserve site-specific requirements if the permit is not acted on. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, p.40)
Current Status
As at the 23 April 2024 council agenda, officers recommended that Council support preparation and exhibition of Amendment C98gpla and planning permit P21334, and request Ministerial authorisation for the combined amendment and permit process. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, p.16) The combined process would allow the rezoning, overlays and staged subdivision permit to be exhibited together under section 96A of the Planning and Environment Act 1987. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, pp.16-17)
The Minister for Planning would make the final decision on whether the permit is granted, and there would be no further VCAT review right for the permit decision under the combined process described in the agenda. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, p.17) Submissions would be considered through the amendment pathway, with the possibility of a Planning Panel and a later Council report after exhibition. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, pp.26, 41)
Dependencies
- Blocks: The framework plan blocks ad hoc residential expansion outside the settlement boundary and makes future rezonings dependent on structure-plan consistency, constraint management and infrastructure delivery. (Source: Att 7.6.5 - Golden Plains C102gpla Ordinance Combined_1.pdf)
- Blocked by: Near-term housing yield is constrained by the absence of reticulated sewerage, flood-prone land, onsite wastewater capacity, drainage easements, bushfire setbacks, native vegetation offsets, and transport access requirements. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, pp.31-37)
- Informed by: The current statutory framework is informed by the Inverleigh Structure Plan 2019, the Development Feasibility Study Package, the Mesh Development Contributions Assessment, the planning scheme review, C102gpla ordinance translation material, and site-specific technical reports for C98gpla. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, pp.22, 31, 39; Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf)
- Implements: The framework implements Clause 11.03-6L-03 Inverleigh, the Inverleigh Framework Plan settlement boundary, LDRZ subdivision policy, floodplain management policy, and further strategic work for access and development contributions. (Source: Att 7.6.5 - Golden Plains C102gpla Ordinance Combined_1.pdf; Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf)
- Conflicts with: There is a structural tension between demand for additional low-density housing and the environmental/service constraints that require large lots, open drainage, flood avoidance, onsite wastewater, vegetation retention and bushfire setbacks. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, pp.23-37)
Cross-Jurisdictional Links
Inverleigh sits within a wider Geelong-facing settlement system because the planning scheme identifies its proximity to Geelong, the Geelong Ring Road and Melbourne links as drivers of residential pressure. (Source: Att 7.6.5 - Golden Plains C102gpla Ordinance Combined_1.pdf) The G21 Regional Growth Plan policy cited in the April 2024 agenda requires settlement boundaries, settlement breaks between towns, protection of critical agricultural land, and direction of growth to towns; the agenda states that Inverleigh is identified as a settlement on that regional plan and that the C98gpla land is within an identified planned growth area. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, p.27)
The Tracks and Trails Strategy adds regional movement links. It identifies community interest in safe walking and cycling connections from Inverleigh to Bannockburn, connecting Bannockburn and Inverleigh into Geelong’s Principal Bicycle Network, and a possible Ballarat-to-Geelong trail connection through several Golden Plains townships. (Source: Att 7.8.1 Tracks and Trails Strategy 2023-2033.pdf, pp.16, 21) These links depend on Council funding cycles, external funding and partnerships with other agencies or land managers. (Source: Att 7.8.1 Tracks and Trails Strategy 2023-2033.pdf, p.31)
The Barwon Park Road Bridge at Inverleigh was widened and replaced as a joint Golden Plains Shire and Surf Coast Shire project, showing that some local access infrastructure around Inverleigh has cross-council delivery implications. (Source: GPSC_AR_2020_21.pdf) The broader Shire growth context is also relevant: Golden Plains reported a 2021 population of 24,292, a 2.4 percent annual growth rate, and a 2041 projected population of 42,193. (Source: GPSC_AR_2020_21.pdf)
Gaps in This Analysis
The main gap is the absence of the Inverleigh Structure Plan 2019 itself. The available corpus contains planning scheme translations, agenda extracts and references to the structure plan, but not the full adopted structure plan document, maps, land-use budget, staging plan or technical appendices. (Source: Att 7.6.1 - Golden-Plains-Planning-Scheme-Review-2022_FINAL combined_3.pdf; Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf)
The second gap is the absence of the C87gpla Panel Report. The April 2024 agenda quotes the Panel on sewerage and LDRZ feasibility, but the full Panel reasoning, submitter issues and recommended changes are not in the manifest source set. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, p.31)
The third gap is the absence of the Inverleigh Development Contributions Assessment, October 2022 prepared by Mesh Planning. The agenda provides the charge of $22,720.89 per net developable hectare excluding drainage, but the infrastructure item list, apportionment method, cost assumptions and sensitivity to future growth areas are not available. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, p.39)
The fourth gap is the absence of the C98gpla technical package, including the Planning Report, Stormwater Management Plan and Flood Impact Assessment, Flora and Fauna Assessment, Traffic Assessment, Infrastructure Servicing Assessment, Land Capability Assessment, Bushfire Risk Assessment, Cultural Heritage Due Diligence Report, Landscape Masterplan, Urban Design Concepts and Arboricultural Assessment. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, p.22) Because these reports are missing, this page can identify the planning mechanisms and constraints but cannot independently test flood modelling, traffic triggers, wastewater capacity, biodiversity offsets, staging costs or lot-yield sensitivity. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, pp.22, 31-40)
The fifth gap is current amendment status after 23 April 2024. The manifest includes the agenda recommending authorisation and exhibition, but does not include later minutes, authorisation correspondence, exhibition documents, submissions, Panel directions, Panel report, adoption report, Ministerial decision or gazettal notice. (Source: PUBLIC Agenda - Council Meeting - 23 April 2024.pdf, pp.16-17, 41)