title: Kilmore Structure Plan council: mitchell state: vic category: growth-area classification: MAJOR status: active last_compiled: 2026-05-31 source_docs:
- web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt
- web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-pdf.txt
Kilmore Structure Plan
The Kilmore Structure Plan is the statutory settlement framework used to manage Kilmore and Kilmore East as a peri-urban township outside Melbourne’s Urban Growth Boundary, with growth directed into a defined settlement boundary, infill precincts, growth precincts, rural living and low-density areas, strategic development sites, and the Sydney Street town centre. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt) Its planning significance is not just that it identifies land for growth, but that the current Mitchell Planning Scheme uses it to trigger development-plan requirements, movement-network tests, drainage and servicing assessments, heritage checks, infrastructure delivery strategies, and public open space contributions before land can be subdivided or developed. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt)
Background
Mitchell Shire’s planning framework distinguishes between substantial metropolitan growth inside the Urban Growth Boundary and established townships outside that boundary, with Kilmore, Kilmore East and Broadford identified as peri-urban townships serving the municipal community. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt) The Municipal Planning Strategy states that Seymour, Kilmore and Broadford will grow significantly and that their growth is to be guided by prepared structure plans. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt)
Kilmore is identified in local settlement policy as a key service centre for local communities, while growth outside the Urban Growth Boundary is to be directed to established settlements in accordance with adopted structure plans and other strategically justified areas. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt) Clause 11.01-1L-04 applies specifically to Kilmore, including Kilmore East, as shown on the Kilmore Structure Plan that forms part of that clause. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt)
The planning scheme lists the Kilmore Structure Plan, prepared by Mesh Planning in August 2016, as a background document introduced by Amendment C123 and referenced by Clause 11.01-1L-04 and Development Plan Overlay Schedules 5, 7 and 10. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt) The scheme also lists the Kilmore Infrastructure Funding Framework, prepared by Mitchell Shire Council in August 2017, as a background document introduced by Amendment C123 and referenced by Clause 11.01-1L-04, Development Plan Overlay Schedules 5, 7 and 10, and Clause 53.01. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt)
Analysis
Settlement Role and Growth Containment
The Structure Plan’s core settlement mechanism is containment: residential development is to be kept within the settlement boundary shown on the Kilmore Structure Plan. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt) This matters because Kilmore is outside the Urban Growth Boundary, so the scheme treats it differently from Wallan and Beveridge growth-corridor land where precinct structure planning and urban growth-zone mechanisms are the dominant tools. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt)
The policy directs residential development to Kilmore’s infill precinct and growth precincts rather than allowing dispersed expansion around the township. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt) In practical terms, the Structure Plan operates like a town map with coloured building blocks: land inside the marked blocks can be planned through development-plan and infrastructure tests, while land outside the marked settlement boundary is not supported for outward residential growth by the local Kilmore policy. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt)
The scheme gives Kilmore a dual role as a residential growth location and a regional service hub for education, health, employment and town-centre activity. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt) That dual role means the Structure Plan is not only a housing document; it is also the spatial framework for education and health clustering, local employment land, equine-related activity, town-centre consolidation, open-space corridors and movement connections. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt)
Growth Precinct Delivery Mechanism
Development Plan Overlay Schedule 5 applies to the Kilmore North, West and South-East Growth Precincts. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt) A development plan for these precincts must be generally in accordance with the Kilmore Structure Plan and the relevant DPO maps for the Kilmore West Growth Precinct, South-East Growth Precinct and North Growth Area Precinct. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt)
The Schedule 5 mechanism shifts Kilmore’s growth precincts from a simple zoning question to a coordinated delivery question. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt) A development plan must show the development and use of each part of the land, the local street layout, a permeable connector and local road system, community infrastructure, trunk services, surrounding interfaces, and responses to topography, high points, key views and vistas. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt)
The same schedule requires a Planning Assessment and Design Response Report, a Traffic Impact Assessment Report, a Local Street Level Concept Plan, a Flora and Fauna Assessment, a Civil Infrastructure and Drainage Report, a preliminary desktop heritage study, and an Infrastructure Delivery Strategy. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt) The effect is that subdivision is expected to prove how it fits the Structure Plan, how it connects to Kilmore, how it protects environmental and cultural features, and how infrastructure will be staged before the responsible authority can rely on the development plan as an implementation tool. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt)
The Traffic Impact Assessment Report must review internal and external traffic and movement-network impacts, identify costs for developer contributions where impacts are outside the developable area, and consider road hierarchy, cross-sections, circulation networks, traffic management devices, safe access and known VicRoads infrastructure projects. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt) This creates a direct cause-and-effect pathway between each growth precinct and the wider Kilmore road network: new lots cannot be treated as isolated development because external network impacts must be assessed and costed. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt)
Infill, Low-Density and Strategic Sites
Development Plan Overlay Schedule 7 applies to Kilmore Rural Living and Low Density Areas. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt) Permits in these areas must implement offsite developer contribution obligations if those obligations are not already resolved by agreement, and those obligations are tied to the required Infrastructure Delivery Strategy and the Kilmore Structure Plan. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt)
Schedule 7 requires development plans to respond to topography, high points, views, land use, street layout, community infrastructure, trunk services, interfaces, building envelopes, exclusion areas and effluent disposal envelopes where relevant. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt) For the site bordered by Kellys Lane and the Northern Highway, Schedule 7 specifically requires an east-west road link and recommends a 30 metre vegetation buffer and 30 metre minimum building setback from the waterway where appropriate. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt)
Development Plan Overlay Schedule 10 applies to Kilmore Strategic Development Sites. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt) Like Schedule 7, Schedule 10 requires permit conditions to implement offsite developer contribution obligations where they are not otherwise resolved, and those obligations are tied to the Infrastructure Delivery Strategy, the Kilmore Structure Plan and the Kilmore Infrastructure Funding Framework. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt)
Schedule 10 requires a permeable movement network including connector roads, local roads and paths, as well as shared path connectivity in accordance with the Kilmore Structure Plan. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt) The mechanism is important because strategic development sites often sit between existing urban fabric and future growth land, so their layout can either complete missing links or lock in fragmented access patterns. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt)
Infrastructure, Drainage and Servicing Dependencies
The Kilmore policy supports development of identified road and intersection treatments, drainage and community facilities shown on the Kilmore Structure Plan. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt) The same policy guideline says decision-makers should consider contributions for identified road and intersection treatments, drainage and community facilities as part of proposed development. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt)
Development Plan Overlay Schedules 5, 7 and 10 all require servicing and drainage material that addresses infrastructure capacity, drainage, sewerage where relevant, stormwater treatment and retardation, water-sensitive urban design, and servicing-authority policies. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt) The practical consequence is that the Structure Plan does not itself release land merely by identifying a growth precinct; each development area must still demonstrate that trunk and reticulated services, drainage treatment, stormwater retardation and staging can be delivered. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt)
The Kilmore Wastewater Management Facility is identified as providing sewerage treatment and wastewater disposal for Kilmore, and the planning scheme states that its ongoing operation is critical to Kilmore’s continued growth. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt) Environmental Significance Overlay Schedule 5 seeks to avoid development that would compromise the facility’s ongoing operation, including likely expansion or intensification. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt)
The wastewater facility buffer creates a hard planning dependency because sensitive or people-intensive uses near the facility must be assessed against odour exposure and the long-term viability of the facility. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt) Applications affected by the buffer must show distances to the facility boundary, estimate the number of persons drawn to the buffer area, explain how the proposal satisfies the environmental objective, and consider Goulburn Valley Water’s comments on compatibility with the long-term viability of the facility. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt)
Movement Network and Bypass Relationship
The Kilmore policy requires pedestrian, cycling and vehicle links between growth areas, established areas, the Sydney Street town centre, existing facilities and Kilmore East train station. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt) It also supports infill development that improves pedestrian paths, shared paths and roads, which means infill sites are expected to repair network gaps rather than only provide site-by-site access. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt)
The local road-system policy identifies conflict and capacity issues on the Northern Highway through Wallan and Kilmore and supports the Wallan/Kilmore bypass. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt) The Kilmore policy also supports planning and construction of the Kilmore-Wallan Bypass and encourages road cross-section design and development setbacks that remove or mitigate the need for noise attenuation walls. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt)
The current scheme includes the Kilmore Bypass Stage 1 Project as a Specific Controls Overlay incorporated document prepared by the Department of Transport and Planning in April 2024. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt) This matters for the Structure Plan because bypass design, access control, noise treatment and development setbacks can influence the layout and development capacity of adjoining growth and strategic sites. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt)
Public transport policy requires upgraded pedestrian links between train stations and town centres in Wallan and Kilmore to improve wayfinding and provide direct and attractive walking routes. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt) For Kilmore, that links the Structure Plan’s internal walking and cycling network to the Kilmore East rail station rather than treating the station as separate from township growth. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt)
Town Centre, Heritage and Kilmore Creek
The Structure Plan supports Sydney Street Town Centre as Kilmore’s primary destination and focus. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt) The policy prioritises retail and activity-generating uses in the town centre, supports accommodation uses, encourages night-time activity and pedestrian-oriented activity, and allows an additional full-line supermarket or anchor tenant outside the established town centre only where suitability, demand, town-centre vitality and integration tests are met. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt)
Design and Development Overlay Schedule 4 applies to the Kilmore Town Centre and Key Gateway Sites. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt) Its design objectives seek development that respects the underlying heritage character, improves Sydney Street and Patrick Street, discourages car parking from visually dominating the public realm, supports shop-top dwellings, and facilitates Kilmore Creek as a continuous recreation and habitat corridor into the town centre. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt)
Kilmore’s heritage setting is a material constraint because the Municipal Planning Strategy states that Kilmore is Victoria’s oldest inland town and has numerous heritage-significant buildings that create a distinctive character and sense of place. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt) The Heritage Overlay schedule identifies several Kilmore places on the Victorian Heritage Register, including Kilmore District Hospital, Whitburgh Cottage, the Former Kilmore Post Office, Kilmore Court House, Bindley House, St Patrick’s Church and The Towers. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt)
Significant Landscape Overlay Schedule 3 identifies the Kilmore Creek Environs as aesthetically and historically significant and as a natural landscape providing continuous linear open space within Kilmore Town Centre. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt) The same schedule seeks to protect and improve visual and pedestrian connectivity between Kilmore Creek Environs, Victoria Parade and Sydney Street, while protecting exotic planting, remnant native vegetation, landscape quality, permeability and continuous open-space use. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt)
Open Space and Contributions
The Structure Plan requires a linear open-space network along key waterways, drainage lines and other reserves shown on the plan. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt) This network is not just recreational land because the planning scheme also requires development near waterways to maintain natural flows, protect waterway systems, retain public access, avoid overshadowing, and consider Aboriginal cultural heritage sensitivity within 200 metres of a waterway centreline. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt)
Clause 53.01 requires infill development within Kilmore and Kilmore East to make a 4 percent site-value cash contribution for public open space in accordance with the Kilmore Infrastructure Funding Framework, July 2017. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt) The effect is that infill development contributes financially to the open-space and infrastructure framework even where it does not deliver large greenfield reserves directly. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt)
Employment, Education, Health and Equine Functions
The Kilmore policy supports co-location of education and health-related uses near existing education and health facilities, activity nodes identified in the Structure Plan, and the Sydney Street Town Centre. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt) It also supports education facilities that consolidate Kilmore’s role as an education hub for the broader region. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt)
Local economic policy supports new employment land in Kilmore, Broadford and Seymour as identified in adopted structure plans. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt) The Kilmore policy also seeks to strengthen the equine industry and equine-related industry by co-locating land uses within the equine precinct. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt)
Design and Development Overlay Schedule 3 applies to the Kilmore Equine Lifestyle Precinct and manages stable setbacks, accommodation separation, wash-down impacts, effluent disposal and horse management planning. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt) This means the equine precinct is treated as a land-use compatibility area where residential amenity, animal-related activity, water management and odour or spray impacts must be managed together. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt)
Current Status
The Kilmore Structure Plan is an active background document in the current Mitchell Planning Scheme and is implemented through local settlement policy, Development Plan Overlay Schedules 5, 7 and 10, town-centre design controls, public open space contributions and related infrastructure requirements. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt) The current planning scheme text identifies the Structure Plan as a background document introduced by Amendment C123, not as an incorporated document under Clause 72.04. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt)
The planning scheme’s further strategic work program says structure plans, precinct structure plans, infrastructure contribution plans and development plans should be reviewed every five years or as necessary given the amount of development that has occurred. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt) Because the Kilmore Structure Plan is dated August 2016, the current scheme itself creates a basis for review if growth, infrastructure delivery or development take-up has materially changed since adoption. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt)
Dependencies
- Blocks: Uncoordinated residential expansion outside the settlement boundary, disconnected subdivision layouts, strategic-site development that does not address movement connections, and growth-area subdivision that has not demonstrated servicing, drainage, traffic, heritage, flora and fauna, and infrastructure staging responses. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt)
- Blocked by: Infrastructure capacity, drainage and sewerage servicing, external road and intersection impacts, Kilmore Wastewater Management Facility buffer compatibility, waterway and landscape constraints, heritage assessment requirements, and unresolved offsite infrastructure contribution obligations. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt)
- Informed by: Kilmore Structure Plan, Kilmore Infrastructure Funding Framework, Kilmore 3764 Town Centre Revitalisation, Kilmore Heritage Study, and current Mitchell Planning Scheme clauses for settlement, development plans, environmental significance, landscape, heritage, open space and transport. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt)
- Implements: Mitchell Shire’s settlement hierarchy for peri-urban townships outside the Urban Growth Boundary, the role of Kilmore as a key service centre, local housing-diversity objectives, town-centre consolidation, and infrastructure coordination for larger townships where growth is expected. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt)
- Conflicts with: Proposals that disperse growth beyond the Kilmore settlement boundary, proposals that weaken Sydney Street Town Centre, proposals that compromise the Kilmore Wastewater Management Facility, and proposals that fragment movement links between growth areas, town-centre services and Kilmore East station. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt)
Cross-Jurisdictional Links
Kilmore’s growth is linked to state transport planning because the current scheme supports the Wallan/Kilmore bypass and includes the Kilmore Bypass Stage 1 Project as a Department of Transport and Planning incorporated document under the Specific Controls Overlay. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt) Kilmore’s servicing position is linked to Goulburn Valley Water because the Environmental Significance Overlay requires consideration of Goulburn Valley Water’s comments on compatibility with the long-term viability of the Kilmore Wastewater Management Facility. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt)
Kilmore also sits within Mitchell Shire’s broader split between the Northern Growth Corridor inside the Urban Growth Boundary and established peri-urban townships outside it. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt) This creates a policy relationship with northern-growth-corridor, wallan-structure-plan, beveridge-growth-area, broadford-structure-plan and seymour-structure-plan, because infrastructure priorities, transport movements and settlement roles are compared across those locations in the planning scheme. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt)
Gaps in This Analysis
The compile manifest provides only two extracted planning-scheme text files, and both appear to contain the same current Mitchell Planning Scheme material rather than the standalone Kilmore Structure Plan report. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt) The corpus does not include the full Kilmore Structure Plan, Mesh Planning, August 2016, even though the planning scheme lists it as the background document for Clause 11.01-1L-04 and Development Plan Overlay Schedules 5, 7 and 10. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt)
The corpus also does not include the full Kilmore Infrastructure Funding Framework, Mitchell Shire Council, August 2017, even though the planning scheme uses it for infrastructure contribution obligations and the 4 percent public open space contribution for infill development in Kilmore and Kilmore East. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt) Because those documents are missing, this page cannot quantify gross area, net developable area, dwelling yield, infrastructure item costs, contribution rates beyond the 4 percent public open space requirement, drainage land take, road-upgrade triggers, community-facility timing, or precinct-by-precinct staging. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt)
The most important corpus gaps to record in _gaps are the standalone Kilmore Structure Plan, the standalone Kilmore Infrastructure Funding Framework, any development plans approved under DPO5, DPO7 and DPO10, the Kilmore Bypass Stage 1 incorporated document, Goulburn Valley Water servicing information for Kilmore, and any recent council reports reviewing the 2016 Structure Plan after the five-year review interval identified in Clause 74.02. (Source: web-research-L1-planning-scheme-current-mitchell-2026.txt)