title: Amendment GC249 - Beveridge Interstate Freight Terminal Controls council: mitchell state: vic category: amendment classification: MAJOR status: approved last_compiled: 2026-05-31 source_docs:
- web-research-L1-bift-gc249-approval-parliament.txt
- web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt
Amendment GC249 - Beveridge Interstate Freight Terminal Controls
Amendment GC249 is a state-led planning control that enables the Beveridge Intermodal Precinct Stage 1A through a Specific Controls Overlay and an incorporated document rather than through a conventional exhibited rezoning pathway. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-gc249-approval-parliament.txt) Its practical effect is to authorise a transport terminal and ancillary works on land at 2025 Merriang Road and 256 Beveridge Road, Beveridge, including adjoining rail corridor and road-reserve land, while leaving important downstream questions to conditions, management plans, transport upgrades, acoustic controls, water management and future permit processes. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-gc249-approval-parliament.txt; Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt)
Background
The Beveridge Intermodal Freight Terminal was described in the referral material as an intermodal freight terminal and associated precinct infrastructure for import/export freight, interstate freight, containers, bulk commodities, hardstands, rail track, arrival/departure sidings for trains up to 1,800 metres, locomotive refuelling, truck loading and circulation, distribution centres and warehousing. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt) The project objective was early delivery of the terminal and employment hub in accordance with Plan Melbourne, the Northern Growth Corridor Plan and the Victorian Freight Strategy. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt)
The freight-policy mechanism is regional rather than local: the referral material says the Victorian Freight Plan, Delivering the Goods 2018, anticipated two major intermodal facilities in Melbourne’s north and west, with the Western Interstate Freight Terminal supporting existing distribution centres and the Beveridge terminal servicing regional and interstate freight with a direct connection to Inland Rail. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt) The site was not tested against alternative locations in the referral because it had already been repeatedly identified for BIFT in Plan Melbourne and the Northern Growth Corridor Plan and was also recognised in the VPA program of PSPs as part of the Northern Freight Terminal PSP. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt)
The approval notice records that on 31 July 2025 the Minister for Planning approved Amendment GC249 to the Mitchell and Whittlesea planning schemes. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-gc249-approval-parliament.txt) The amendment was prepared by the Minister for Planning, while Whittlesea City Council and Mitchell Shire Council remain responsible for administering the schemes. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-gc249-approval-parliament.txt) The approval notice says the amendment applies Specific Controls Overlay SCO20 to the land required for the project and introduces the Beveridge Intermodal Precinct Stage 1A Incorporated Document, Department of Transport and Planning, June 2025, into the planning schemes. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-gc249-approval-parliament.txt)
Analysis
Statutory Mechanism and Procedural Consequences
The core planning mechanism is a project-specific control, not a broad strategic precinct plan. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-gc249-approval-parliament.txt) GC249 applies SCO20 to land required for the Beveridge Intermodal Precinct Stage 1A and uses an incorporated document to allow the use and development of a transport terminal and ancillary works subject to conditions. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-gc249-approval-parliament.txt) In simple terms, the amendment works like a special rulebook placed over the project land: the rulebook permits the freight-terminal use, but the details still depend on the conditions embedded in the incorporated document and any subsequent approvals. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-gc249-approval-parliament.txt)
The approval pathway is procedurally significant because the Minister exempted herself from the notice and exhibition requirements in sections 17, 18 and 19 of the Planning and Environment Act 1987. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-gc249-approval-parliament.txt) The listed exemptions included requirements to provide the amendment and supporting material to the relevant municipal council, make the amendment available for inspection, notify affected Ministers, public authorities, councils, owners and occupiers, publish newspaper notice and publish notice in the Victoria Government Gazette. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-gc249-approval-parliament.txt) The approval notice also records that the Minister exempted herself from Regulations 6 and 7 of the Planning and Environment Regulations 2015 for giving notice of an amendment. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-gc249-approval-parliament.txt)
The immediate planning consequence is that the amendment moved directly to approval without a normal public exhibition process. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-gc249-approval-parliament.txt) The notice states that no notice of the amendment was given and that the Minister did not consult the responsible authority, although informal discussions took place. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-gc249-approval-parliament.txt) This makes the incorporated document unusually important because it becomes the main place where site-specific safeguards, design requirements, environmental controls, acoustic requirements, traffic staging and implementation conditions would need to be checked. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-gc249-approval-parliament.txt; Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt)
The Minister did not prepare GC249 under section 20A of the Planning and Environment Act 1987. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-gc249-approval-parliament.txt) That distinction matters because the approval notice separately records exemptions from notice and exhibition, rather than saying sections 17, 18 and 19 did not apply because of section 20A. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-gc249-approval-parliament.txt)
Land Use Function and Freight-System Role
The project is intended to operate as a large freight-handling node, not as a conventional industrial estate. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt) The listed components include IMEX and interstate freight handling, bulk commodities, hardstands, rail tracks, sidings for trains up to 1,800 metres, locomotive refuelling, truck loading and circulation areas, distribution centres and warehousing. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt) The operational model is also materially different from standard employment land because the referral expects 24/7 operation. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt)
The freight network role depends on both rail and road systems. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt) The referral says BIFT integrates with interstate and intrastate rail freight services and port shuttle services via the existing rail reserve and track along the western boundary of the site. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt) It also identifies surrounding rail infrastructure as Inland Rail, Port of Melbourne or port rail shuttles, the North East Rail Line Upgrade and the Craigieburn Line upgrade to metropolitan service. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt)
The road access pattern is equally important because the terminal creates a truck interface with the Hume Freeway corridor. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt) The referral identifies current main road access via Beveridge Road-Minton Street and the Old Hume Highway/Lithgow Street Interchange, and identifies the future Outer Metropolitan Road/E6 Corridor to the south. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt) It describes the Hume Freeway and future OMR/E6 links as the spine of the principal freight network in the corridor. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt)
The practical mechanism is therefore a staged conversion from rural-edge land into a rail-road freight interface. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt) The referral says much of the local and sub-arterial road network near the site is rural or relatively undeveloped and will be upgraded over time in line with neighbouring PSP development. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt) That means the terminal’s planning control cannot be assessed only as a site permission; its traffic and amenity performance depends on road and intersection upgrades outside the terminal footprint. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt)
Site Scale, Boundary Logic and Growth-Area Interface
The broader referred site was 1,100 hectares and comprised two major parcels: Mossrock at 202 hectares and Camoola at 898 hectares. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt) The referral states that some Camoola land sits outside the Urban Growth Boundary in the Green Wedge Zone and that all proposed development is limited to land inside the UGB west of Merri Creek. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt) This means Merri Creek operates as both an environmental corridor and a planning boundary between urban-growth land and green-wedge land. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt)
The local land-use interface is mixed and sensitive. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt) The referral describes the site as undeveloped rural land inside the UGB and proposed for future urban growth, with land to the west planned for residential development as part of the Beveridge East PSP. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt) It also states that land immediately north and south forms part of the Northern Freight PSP area and that land east of Merri Creek is outside the UGB and zoned for green wedge purposes. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt)
This creates a planning interface problem: the same corridor must accommodate state-significant freight infrastructure, future residential land to the west, freight precinct land to the north and south, and green-wedge conservation or rural land to the east. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt) The likely planning task is therefore not simply to permit the terminal, but to manage the boundary conditions between 24/7 freight activity and future sensitive uses in nearby PSP areas. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt)
The previous zoning context underscores the scale of statutory change. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt) The referral records that most of the site was in the Farming Zone, the north-west corner was in an Urban Floodway Zone, land along Merri Creek was in a Rural Conservation Zone, all land east of Merri Creek was in a Green Wedge Zone, and a Public Use Zone (Transport) applied along the western site boundary aligned with the north-eastern rail corridor. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt) The listed overlays included Environmental Significance Overlay, Public Acquisition Overlay, Heritage Overlay and Rural Floodway Overlay. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt)
Environmental Constraints and Waterway Mechanisms
Merri Creek is the main environmental organising feature in the available documents. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt) The referral states that Merri Creek flows through the Camoola site from the north-west corner to the south-east corner and that parts of the site are subject to flooding through the Rural Floodway Overlay and Urban Floodway Zone. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt) The referral also identifies Conservation Area 34 along the western side of Merri Creek. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt)
The biodiversity evidence in the referral is mixed: the site contains mapped and potential habitat features, but targeted surveys did not record the key listed species or ecological community. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt) The biodiversity assessment identified 15 native scattered trees, including seven River Red-gums, six Swamp Gums, one Manna Gum and one dead eucalypt stag, and found no native vegetation patches during the July 2019 site assessment. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt) It identified five patches of Current Wetlands, including one mapped as the EPBC Act-listed Seasonal Herbaceous Wetlands ecological community known as Hearnes Swamp, but targeted surveys for Growling Grass Frog, Golden Sun Moth and that ecological community recorded no observations. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt)
The referral says the development footprint avoids Merri Creek, Conservation Area 34 and land east of Merri Creek, and proposes to retain all but one scattered tree, a Swamp Gum. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt) It also says approximately 8 hectares of areas mapped as Current Wetlands within Hearnes Swamp and its 200 metre exclusion zone may be impacted, while noting that the biodiversity assessment found very little native vegetation in those Current Wetland areas. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt) The offset evidence is not final: the referral gives an indicative NVIM habitat compensation fee of $6,210,773.92 including GST if all vegetation within the BCS area west of Merri Creek is impacted or cleared, but says that value is indicative and may not apply to the whole land parcel if the obligation is restricted to the development footprint. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt)
The water-management mechanism is unresolved in the source material. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt) The referral says an initial Stormwater Strategy Plan had been completed, but a surface water assessment had not yet been completed. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt) It proposes that stormwater will be localised into existing wetlands, treated in accordance with Melbourne Water guidelines and standards, then discharged into Merri Creek through natural drainage lines and a new culvert. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt)
The referral identifies several dependencies for water design: part of the site sits within the Beveridge East Development Services Scheme, areas within that DSS are to be designed in accordance with it, areas outside a defined DSS are to adopt the same design criteria, MUSIC modelling is to be undertaken, and the preferred stormwater option had not yet been identified. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt) This means the statutory approval enabled Stage 1A before the corpus shows the final drainage design, final stormwater option, final discharge locations, final retarding basin land take or final flood modelling. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt; Source: web-research-L1-bift-gc249-approval-parliament.txt)
Transport, Staging and Amenity
The available traffic evidence supports feasibility only if upgrades occur in step with development. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt) The referral says the project is likely to generate increased construction traffic and potentially significant operational traffic as the precinct reaches its ultimate state. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt) It also says the Traffic and Transport Assessment found expected traffic volumes could be safely and efficiently handled by the road network assuming an appropriate and staged set of road and intersection upgrades occur over time. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt)
That assumption is the key mechanism. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt) If road and intersection upgrades are delivered in the right sequence, the transport assessment expects the network to accommodate traffic. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt) If those upgrades lag behind terminal throughput or warehouse take-up, the same source material implies a risk of road-network and amenity impacts because the conclusion depends on staged upgrades. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt)
The noise issue is also a staging and land-use compatibility issue rather than only a building-design issue. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt) The referral says existing noise-sensitive dwellings are located near the site boundary, with the nearest receivers between 100 and 150 metres from the site boundary to the north and between the northern and southern site sections. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt) It also says Beveridge township is approximately 815 metres west of the site and that dwellings along Hadfield and Merriang Roads are near the site boundary but more than 500 metres from proposed site infrastructure. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt)
The referral identifies potential amenity impacts on future residential areas west of the site, primarily from truck traffic and noise. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt) It says detailed noise modelling and compliance assessments will be required as design and planning progress, and that noise management is likely to combine on-site design and controls, off-site planning measures and targeted mitigation. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt) It specifically states that planning controls may be required on neighbouring development sites, especially land associated with the Beveridge North East PSP to the west. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt)
This is the most important downstream effect for Beveridge East PSP and Beveridge North East PSP planning. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt) GC249 enables the freight terminal, but residential PSPs nearby may need acoustic buffers, interface controls, road hierarchy changes, building-orientation controls or other planning measures to protect both residential amenity and freight-terminal operation. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt; Source: web-research-L1-bift-gc249-approval-parliament.txt)
Heritage, Cultural Heritage and Ground Conditions
The referral identifies Aboriginal cultural heritage as a live constraint rather than a closed issue. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt) Ecology and Heritage Partners prepared an Aboriginal and Historical Heritage Assessment, and the referral reports 69 Aboriginal Places and 31 historical heritage places previously recorded within a 3 kilometre radius of the study area. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt) Four Aboriginal sites and three historical places were located in the study area. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt)
The referral says artefact scatters, low-density artefact distributions and scarred trees were the most likely Aboriginal heritage place types, and it also identifies a possible stony rise landform associated with Aboriginal places. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt) It states that the site visit did not meet the requirements for a formal archaeological survey under Aboriginal Victoria. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt) That means the available corpus supports the need for further cultural heritage process rather than demonstrating that cultural heritage has been fully resolved. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt)
The listed mitigation pathway includes avoidance where possible, a Cultural Heritage Management Plan, archaeological investigations if the development affects VHI site H7823-0054 Former Beveridge Station Complex or Heritage Overlay site HO2, and a Dry Stone Wall Management Plan if dry stone wall impacts cannot be avoided. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt) The former Beveridge Station Complex is listed on the Victorian Heritage Inventory as H7823-0054. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt)
Ground conditions are also relevant to both construction and waterway protection. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt) The referral says steep slopes are expected near Merri Creek, weaker or softer material, shallow groundwater and steep slopes may create ground-stability issues, and development around Merri Creek should consider slope stability measures such as flatter slopes, retention systems and slope-surface stabilisation. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt) It also says Merri Creek has steep eroded banks and that erosion near the creek is expected. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt)
Delivery, Approvals and Management-Plan Dependencies
The original referral expected Stage 1 completion by 2022 if an expedited approvals process was put in place, but the approval notice shows GC249 was approved on 31 July 2025. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt; Source: web-research-L1-bift-gc249-approval-parliament.txt) That timing gap is analytically important because the source corpus does not explain what changed between the referral-stage program and the 2025 amendment approval. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt; Source: web-research-L1-bift-gc249-approval-parliament.txt)
The referral anticipated a planning scheme amendment approved by the Minister for Planning and subsequent planning permits after rezoning. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt) It also anticipated technical reports or management plans before permit issue, including an Environmental Management Plan, Cultural Heritage Management Plan, Sustainability Management Plan and Integrated Transport Plan. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt) GC249 later used an SCO and incorporated document to allow the transport terminal and ancillary works subject to conditions. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-gc249-approval-parliament.txt)
The source material therefore shows a layered approval structure. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt; Source: web-research-L1-bift-gc249-approval-parliament.txt) The amendment creates the statutory permission framework; conditions and management plans are the control mechanism for environmental, cultural heritage, transport, sustainability, acoustic and construction impacts; and future permits or approvals are the likely point where detailed compliance is tested. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt; Source: web-research-L1-bift-gc249-approval-parliament.txt)
Current Status
Amendment GC249 was approved by the Minister for Planning on 31 July 2025. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-gc249-approval-parliament.txt) The approved amendment applies SCO20 to land required for Beveridge Intermodal Precinct Stage 1A and introduces the Beveridge Intermodal Precinct Stage 1A Incorporated Document, Department of Transport and Planning, June 2025, into the Mitchell and Whittlesea planning schemes. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-gc249-approval-parliament.txt) Whittlesea City Council and Mitchell Shire Council are responsible for administering the schemes after approval. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-gc249-approval-parliament.txt)
Dependencies
- Blocks: The amendment removes the need for a conventional exhibited planning scheme pathway before Stage 1A transport-terminal use and ancillary works can proceed under the incorporated document. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-gc249-approval-parliament.txt)
- Blocked by: The available corpus indicates unresolved or downstream dependencies in detailed acoustic modelling, traffic staging, road and intersection upgrades, stormwater design, surface water assessment, cultural heritage management and environmental management plans. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt)
- Informed by: The referral identifies biodiversity assessment by Ecology and Heritage Partners, traffic and transport assessment by GTA Consultants, operational noise considerations by Marshall Day Acoustics, engineering input by SMEC and Arcadis, and planning/economics work by Urbis. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt)
- Implements: The project is framed as implementing Plan Melbourne, the Northern Growth Corridor Plan and the Victorian Freight Strategy, with a freight-system relationship to Inland Rail and the Western Interstate Freight Terminal. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt)
- Conflicts with: The available documents do not identify a formal policy conflict, but they identify planning tensions with future residential areas west of the site, existing nearby dwellings, Merri Creek environmental values, flooding, cultural heritage, traffic generation and 24/7 freight operations. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt)
Cross-Jurisdictional Links
GC249 is cross-jurisdictional because it amends both the Mitchell and Whittlesea planning schemes. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-gc249-approval-parliament.txt) The referral material lists the local government area as City of Whittlesea, while the approved amendment also affects Mitchell Shire through land at Beveridge and scheme administration. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt; Source: web-research-L1-bift-gc249-approval-parliament.txt)
The freight-system links extend beyond municipal boundaries. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt) The project is connected to Inland Rail, port rail shuttles, the North East Rail Line Upgrade, the Craigieburn Line upgrade, Hume Freeway access and the future OMR/E6 Corridor. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt) The referral also identifies related agency consultation with Department of Transport Freight and Ports, Freight Victoria, DELWP, the federal Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Cities and Regional Development, and the Australian Rail Track Corporation. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt)
The closest planning relationship is with neighbouring PSP work. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt) The referral says land west of the site is planned for future residential development as part of the Beveridge East PSP, land immediately north and south is part of the Northern Freight PSP area, and planning controls may be needed on Beveridge North East PSP land to manage the freight-residential interface. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt)
Gaps in This Analysis
This page is constrained by a thin two-document corpus. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-gc249-approval-parliament.txt; Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt) The most important missing document is the Beveridge Intermodal Precinct Stage 1A Incorporated Document, Department of Transport and Planning, June 2025, because the approval notice says that document contains the conditions that allow the transport terminal and ancillary works. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-gc249-approval-parliament.txt)
The corpus also lacks the final amendment package, SCO20 schedule text, planning scheme maps, explanatory report, incorporated-document conditions, final transport assessment, final acoustic assessment, final stormwater and flood modelling, final Integrated Water Management Strategy, Cultural Heritage Management Plan, Environmental Management Plan, Sustainability Management Plan and Integrated Transport Plan. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-gc249-approval-parliament.txt; Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt) Without those documents, this page cannot quantify final traffic volumes, intersection triggers, road-upgrade costs, retarding-basin land take, acoustic thresholds, buffer dimensions, heritage impact areas, offset liabilities or permit-condition enforceability. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt)
The referral document predates the approved 2025 amendment and expected Stage 1 completion by 2022 under an expedited process. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt; Source: web-research-L1-bift-gc249-approval-parliament.txt) The corpus does not explain the intervening approvals history, whether an EES decision was made, whether the project scope changed from the broader BIFT concept to Stage 1A, or how the final incorporated document responds to the biodiversity, traffic, noise, flooding and heritage issues identified at referral stage. (Source: web-research-L1-bift-referral-form-dtp.txt; Source: web-research-L1-bift-gc249-approval-parliament.txt)