Grange Planning Brain

title: Bannockburn Recreation Precinct / Dardel Drive Residential Subdivision council: golden-plains state: vic category: strategy classification: MAJOR status: in-progress last_compiled: 2026-05-30 source_docs:

  • Att 7.2 Dardel March Council Report.pdf
  • Att 7.9 Bannockburn Recreation Precinct Fact Sheet February 2024_0.pdf

Bannockburn Recreation Precinct / Dardel Drive Residential Subdivision

The Dardel Drive matter is a small land-supply change with a larger public open space governance consequence: Council-owned land within the Bannockburn Recreation Precinct has been rezoned from a recreation-planning context to Neighbourhood Residential use, with a permit issued for a 51-lot residential subdivision. (Source: Att 7.2 Dardel March Council Report.pdf, p.1) The planning issue is not simply whether 51 dwellings can be delivered, but whether the loss of approximately 3.4-3.5 hectares of previously intended public open space is adequately offset through retained recreation land, the proposed Recreational Future Fund, and future recreation provision in Bannockburn South. (Source: Att 7.2 Dardel March Council Report.pdf, p.1; Source: Att 7.9 Bannockburn Recreation Precinct Fact Sheet February 2024_0.pdf, pp.1-2)

Background

Council decided in March 2021 that some land in the Bannockburn Recreation Precinct would not be needed for public open space as originally planned. (Source: Att 7.2 Dardel March Council Report.pdf, p.1; Source: Att 7.9 Bannockburn Recreation Precinct Fact Sheet February 2024_0.pdf, p.1) After that decision, Council prepared documents and plans for rezoning the land to Neighbourhood Residential and sought permission to subdivide the land into 51 lots. (Source: Att 7.2 Dardel March Council Report.pdf, p.1; Source: Att 7.9 Bannockburn Recreation Precinct Fact Sheet February 2024_0.pdf, p.1)

The proposal was processed through the State Government’s Development Facilitation Program rather than the ordinary council-administered pathway, with the fact sheet stating that Golden Plains was treated as a high-growth area with limited remaining residentially zoned land. (Source: Att 7.9 Bannockburn Recreation Precinct Fact Sheet February 2024_0.pdf, p.1) Public exhibition commenced in March 2023, submissions were invited through the Planning Scheme Amendment process, and residents presented submissions to a Ministerial Panel in September 2023. (Source: Att 7.2 Dardel March Council Report.pdf, p.1; Source: Att 7.9 Bannockburn Recreation Precinct Fact Sheet February 2024_0.pdf, p.1) In December 2023, the Minister rezoned the land and issued a planning permit for a 51-lot residential subdivision. (Source: Att 7.2 Dardel March Council Report.pdf, p.1; Source: Att 7.9 Bannockburn Recreation Precinct Fact Sheet February 2024_0.pdf, p.1)

Analysis

Land Supply, Yield and Density

The subdivision is modest in absolute housing terms but material in local open space terms because it converts approximately 3.4-3.5 hectares of Council-owned recreation precinct land into 51 residential lots. (Source: Att 7.2 Dardel March Council Report.pdf, p.1; Source: Att 7.9 Bannockburn Recreation Precinct Fact Sheet February 2024_0.pdf, p.2) Using the 3.5-hectare figure reported to Council, the approved subdivision equates to about 14.6 lots per hectare; using the 3.4-hectare site figure shown on the fact sheet map, it equates to 15.0 lots per hectare. (Source: Att 7.2 Dardel March Council Report.pdf, p.1; Source: Att 7.9 Bannockburn Recreation Precinct Fact Sheet February 2024_0.pdf, p.2)

That yield sits inside a wider housing-supply argument. Council’s fact sheet states that Bannockburn is expected to reach more than 15,000 people by 2036 and that Bannockburn South could accommodate 15,000 new residents, primary schools, another high school and two new regional recreation precincts. (Source: Att 7.9 Bannockburn Recreation Precinct Fact Sheet February 2024_0.pdf, pp.1-2) The mechanism is that the Dardel Drive land is treated as a near-term residential land release while Bannockburn South is framed as the longer-term location for larger population growth and future regional-scale recreation facilities. (Source: Att 7.9 Bannockburn Recreation Precinct Fact Sheet February 2024_0.pdf, pp.1-2)

The available documents do not provide a land budget, lot-size mix, road reserve area, drainage area, affordable housing tenure model, or net developable area calculation for the 51-lot permit. (Source: Att 7.2 Dardel March Council Report.pdf; Source: Att 7.9 Bannockburn Recreation Precinct Fact Sheet February 2024_0.pdf) This limits the analysis to headline yield and site area rather than a parcel-level assessment of actual lot production, infrastructure land take, or housing diversity. (Source: Att 7.2 Dardel March Council Report.pdf; Source: Att 7.9 Bannockburn Recreation Precinct Fact Sheet February 2024_0.pdf)

Open Space Trade-Off

The central planning trade-off is the removal of land previously held for public open space from the recreation precinct. (Source: Att 7.2 Dardel March Council Report.pdf, p.1; Source: Att 7.9 Bannockburn Recreation Precinct Fact Sheet February 2024_0.pdf, p.1) The Panel accepted residential zoning in principle but recommended additional strategic work to ensure that the loss of nearly 4 hectares of land would be adequately provided elsewhere. (Source: Att 7.9 Bannockburn Recreation Precinct Fact Sheet February 2024_0.pdf, p.1) The Minister nevertheless supported rezoning, with the fact sheet linking that decision to strategic planning underway for Bannockburn South and the stated lack of available residentially zoned land in Bannockburn. (Source: Att 7.9 Bannockburn Recreation Precinct Fact Sheet February 2024_0.pdf, p.1)

Council’s mitigation argument has three parts. First, the fact sheet states that not all land north of the two soccer pitches was declared surplus. (Source: Att 7.9 Bannockburn Recreation Precinct Fact Sheet February 2024_0.pdf, p.2) Second, the retained land is described as sufficient for a future multi-use sporting area, a third soccer pitch, a junior cricket oval, Little Athletics training space, and associated facilities. (Source: Att 7.9 Bannockburn Recreation Precinct Fact Sheet February 2024_0.pdf, p.2) Third, the existing Basketball Stadium is described as capable of future expansion for two additional courts, a 25-metre indoor pool, a gymnasium or other facilities if required. (Source: Att 7.9 Bannockburn Recreation Precinct Fact Sheet February 2024_0.pdf, p.2)

The fact sheet also identifies nearby current recreational areas, including the 3.4-hectare subject site, the 3.99-hectare Arboretum, 7.8-hectare Wabdallah Reserve, and 9.68-hectare Recreation Reserve. (Source: Att 7.9 Bannockburn Recreation Precinct Fact Sheet February 2024_0.pdf, p.2) Those nearby-area figures show local recreational land context, but they do not prove functional equivalence because the documents do not assess catchment access, sport-code capacity, field dimensions, drainage quality, lighting, pavilion provision, or programmed use. (Source: Att 7.9 Bannockburn Recreation Precinct Fact Sheet February 2024_0.pdf, p.2)

Infrastructure Funding Mechanism

Council’s funding mechanism is a dedicated Recreational Future Fund reserve, into which net profits from the sale of the public open space land are to be quarantined for future recreational needs. (Source: Att 7.9 Bannockburn Recreation Precinct Fact Sheet February 2024_0.pdf, p.1) The fund is intended to reduce the Shire-wide rating burden associated with Bannockburn’s growth-related recreation infrastructure. (Source: Att 7.9 Bannockburn Recreation Precinct Fact Sheet February 2024_0.pdf, p.1)

The scale of the funding task is materially larger than the 51-lot subdivision itself. The fact sheet states that the remainder of the Bannockburn Recreational Precinct development will exceed $40 million. (Source: Att 7.9 Bannockburn Recreation Precinct Fact Sheet February 2024_0.pdf, p.2) It also states that future infrastructure in Bannockburn South will require tens of millions of dollars and that development contributions from new estates are expected to cover only about 40% of total costs, leaving Council to fund the remaining 60%. (Source: Att 7.9 Bannockburn Recreation Precinct Fact Sheet February 2024_0.pdf, p.2)

The cause-and-effect chain is therefore: rezoning enables sale; sale proceeds are quarantined; quarantined proceeds are intended to help fund future recreation infrastructure; and the reserve is presented as a way to reduce pressure on general rates. (Source: Att 7.9 Bannockburn Recreation Precinct Fact Sheet February 2024_0.pdf, pp.1-2) The analytical gap is that neither source document states the expected sale price, net proceeds, reserve governance rules beyond councillor approval for withdrawals, timing of land disposal, or the specific infrastructure items to be funded. (Source: Att 7.9 Bannockburn Recreation Precinct Fact Sheet February 2024_0.pdf, p.2)

Affordable and Social Housing

The fact sheet states that social or affordable housing will be included in the subdivision. (Source: Att 7.9 Bannockburn Recreation Precinct Fact Sheet February 2024_0.pdf, p.2) It also states that the State Government and Council aim for around 5-10% within communities, translating to 3-5 residences in this 51-lot subdivision. (Source: Att 7.9 Bannockburn Recreation Precinct Fact Sheet February 2024_0.pdf, p.2) On the stated lot count, 3 dwellings would represent about 5.9% of the subdivision and 5 dwellings would represent about 9.8%. (Source: Att 7.9 Bannockburn Recreation Precinct Fact Sheet February 2024_0.pdf, p.2)

The documents do not state whether the affordable housing commitment is secured through a permit condition, section 173 agreement, land transfer, registered housing agency arrangement, price covenant, or voluntary delivery pathway. (Source: Att 7.2 Dardel March Council Report.pdf; Source: Att 7.9 Bannockburn Recreation Precinct Fact Sheet February 2024_0.pdf) Without that mechanism, the planning significance of the 3-5 residence target cannot be tested beyond noting that Council has publicly stated the intention. (Source: Att 7.9 Bannockburn Recreation Precinct Fact Sheet February 2024_0.pdf, p.2)

Community Contestation and Governance

The matter remained contested after the December 2023 rezoning because Council received a petition in January 2024 about the proposed development. (Source: Att 7.2 Dardel March Council Report.pdf, p.1) In response, Council uploaded an updated fact sheet to its website, sent or posted the fact sheet to petition signatories, posted it to property owners who directly abut, front or adjoin the recreation reserve, and created a Have Your Say page for community comments. (Source: Att 7.2 Dardel March Council Report.pdf, p.1) Officers also proposed an open information session during April 2024 and a later report to Council with a recommendation on the way forward. (Source: Att 7.2 Dardel March Council Report.pdf, p.1)

The governance issue is that the statutory rezoning and permit decision had already occurred by the time the March 2024 Council report was prepared. (Source: Att 7.2 Dardel March Council Report.pdf, p.1) The remaining local decision pathway therefore appears to sit around land-sale process, community engagement, and use of sale proceeds rather than reopening the rezoning decision itself. (Source: Att 7.2 Dardel March Council Report.pdf, pp.1-3; Source: Att 7.9 Bannockburn Recreation Precinct Fact Sheet February 2024_0.pdf, p.2)

The Council report frames petitions as a transparency and engagement mechanism under Council’s governance rules and the Local Government Act 2020. (Source: Att 7.2 Dardel March Council Report.pdf, p.2) The fact sheet states that, because the land has been rezoned and a permit issued, the next step would be for Council to undertake the Local Government Act process to initiate sale of the land, during which the community can make submissions. (Source: Att 7.9 Bannockburn Recreation Precinct Fact Sheet February 2024_0.pdf, p.2)

Planning Decision Pathway

The Dardel Drive pathway is unusual for a local recreation-land disposal issue because the rezoning was processed through the Development Facilitation Program. (Source: Att 7.9 Bannockburn Recreation Precinct Fact Sheet February 2024_0.pdf, p.1) The fact sheet states that the program was established in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to fast-track significant projects and was mainly limited to Melbourne, but that Golden Plains’ high-growth context and shortage of residentially zoned land led to the application being processed through that pathway. (Source: Att 7.9 Bannockburn Recreation Precinct Fact Sheet February 2024_0.pdf, p.1)

This matters because decision authority and timing shifted from a conventional council-led amendment process toward a Ministerial decision. (Source: Att 7.9 Bannockburn Recreation Precinct Fact Sheet February 2024_0.pdf, p.1) The local role did not disappear, because Council initiated the surplus-land decision, prepared the rezoning and subdivision material, responded to the petition, and retains responsibility for any land-sale process. (Source: Att 7.2 Dardel March Council Report.pdf, p.1; Source: Att 7.9 Bannockburn Recreation Precinct Fact Sheet February 2024_0.pdf, pp.1-2)

Current Status

As of the March 2024 Council agenda report, the land had been rezoned to Neighbourhood Residential and a planning permit had been issued for a 51-lot residential subdivision. (Source: Att 7.2 Dardel March Council Report.pdf, p.1) Council officers intended to host an information session before May 2024 and bring back a further report after additional community consultation. (Source: Att 7.2 Dardel March Council Report.pdf, p.1) The fact sheet states that the next step after rezoning and permit issue would be the Local Government Act process to initiate sale of the land, with community submissions to be considered before Council determines whether and when to proceed with sale. (Source: Att 7.9 Bannockburn Recreation Precinct Fact Sheet February 2024_0.pdf, p.2)

Dependencies

  • Blocks: The land-sale process and allocation of net proceeds to the Recreational Future Fund affect how Council can fund future recreation improvements in the Bannockburn Recreation Precinct. (Source: Att 7.9 Bannockburn Recreation Precinct Fact Sheet February 2024_0.pdf, pp.1-2)
  • Blocked by: Sale of the land depends on Council undertaking the Local Government Act process, receiving submissions, considering those submissions, and deciding whether and when to proceed. (Source: Att 7.9 Bannockburn Recreation Precinct Fact Sheet February 2024_0.pdf, p.2)
  • Informed by: The available record includes the March 2024 Council report and the February 2024 fact sheet, both of which describe the rezoning, permit, petition response, and intended sale-process sequence. (Source: Att 7.2 Dardel March Council Report.pdf; Source: Att 7.9 Bannockburn Recreation Precinct Fact Sheet February 2024_0.pdf)
  • Implements: The proposal implements Council’s March 2021 decision that some land in the Bannockburn Recreation Precinct was surplus to public open space needs. (Source: Att 7.2 Dardel March Council Report.pdf, p.1; Source: Att 7.9 Bannockburn Recreation Precinct Fact Sheet February 2024_0.pdf, p.1)
  • Conflicts with: The key tension is between residential land supply in a high-growth town and retention of land originally planned for public open space. (Source: Att 7.2 Dardel March Council Report.pdf, p.1; Source: Att 7.9 Bannockburn Recreation Precinct Fact Sheet February 2024_0.pdf, pp.1-2)

The source documents do not identify cross-boundary infrastructure authorities, adjacent councils, water servicing dependencies, road authority triggers, or state agency capital works linked to this subdivision. (Source: Att 7.2 Dardel March Council Report.pdf; Source: Att 7.9 Bannockburn Recreation Precinct Fact Sheet February 2024_0.pdf) The main state-level linkage is procedural: the proposal was processed through the State Government’s Development Facilitation Program and decided by the Minister for Planning. (Source: Att 7.9 Bannockburn Recreation Precinct Fact Sheet February 2024_0.pdf, p.1)

Gaps in This Analysis

The source set is thin for a MAJOR initiative because it contains a three-page Council agenda report and a two-page fact sheet rather than the amendment documentation, Panel report, permit plans, planning report, open space assessment, traffic assessment, servicing assessment, drainage plans, subdivision layout, valuation material, or Local Government Act sale documentation. (Source: Att 7.2 Dardel March Council Report.pdf; Source: Att 7.9 Bannockburn Recreation Precinct Fact Sheet February 2024_0.pdf) The most important missing primary documents are the Planning Scheme Amendment material, the Ministerial Panel report, the issued planning permit, the endorsed subdivision plans, and any open space needs assessment used to test whether the loss of approximately 3.4-3.5 hectares is adequately offset. (Source: Att 7.2 Dardel March Council Report.pdf, p.1; Source: Att 7.9 Bannockburn Recreation Precinct Fact Sheet February 2024_0.pdf, pp.1-2)

Because the Panel recommendation is only described second-hand in the fact sheet, this page cannot test the Panel’s reasoning, conditions, submitter issues, or any changes made between exhibition and approval. (Source: Att 7.9 Bannockburn Recreation Precinct Fact Sheet February 2024_0.pdf, p.1) Because the permit and plan set are not included, this page cannot verify lot sizes, road layout, staging, drainage treatment, tree removal, open space contribution requirements, affordable housing delivery conditions, or infrastructure servicing obligations. (Source: Att 7.2 Dardel March Council Report.pdf; Source: Att 7.9 Bannockburn Recreation Precinct Fact Sheet February 2024_0.pdf) Because no sale report or valuation is included, this page cannot quantify the likely Recreational Future Fund proceeds or compare those proceeds with the stated more-than-$40 million recreation precinct cost. (Source: Att 7.9 Bannockburn Recreation Precinct Fact Sheet February 2024_0.pdf, p.2)

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