title: Hopetoun Park North Growth Precinct council: moorabool state: vic category: growth-area classification: MAJOR status: in-progress last_compiled: 2026-05-31 source_docs:
- moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf
Hopetoun Park North Growth Precinct
Hopetoun Park North is a lower-density residential growth precinct being advanced through Moorabool Planning Scheme Amendment C103moor, rather than through a full PSP framework; the amendment would rezone about 62 hectares from Farming Zone to Neighbourhood Residential Zone Schedule 8 and apply DPO7, DDO17 and ESO7 controls to govern subdivision layout, built form, biodiversity protection, road works and infrastructure delivery (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, p.11). The precinct is important because it converts a long-identified Bacchus Marsh growth area into a statutory development pathway, but does so with unusually strong interface controls: 1,500 sqm lots on the escarpment and southern edges, 800 sqm lots through the balance, a western linear reserve, a conservation reserve, and a section 173 infrastructure mechanism (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, pp.7, 16, 60-69).
The available corpus is thin: only the corrected Panel report is available, not the full technical reports, submissions, proposed amendment package, development contributions analysis, ecological reports, traffic reports or servicing authority material (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, pp.58-59). This page therefore analyses the statutory mechanism and Panel findings, but cannot independently test all technical assumptions behind yield, biodiversity, stormwater, road safety or servicing capacity (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, pp.48-52).
Background
The land is on the elevated Hopetoun Park plateau, north of existing low-density residential land, south of the Western Freeway and Old Western Highway, west of Hopetoun Park Road, and east of the Bacchus Marsh Irrigation District, with the irrigation district separated by an escarpment about 50 metres high (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, p.7). The amendment land includes 124 and 150 Hopetoun Park Road and parts of land in Cowans Road, with the proponent owning 58 hectares at 124 Hopetoun Park Road and the remaining land in separate ownership (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, p.11).
The statutory origin is the Bacchus Marsh Urban Growth Framework 2018, implemented by Amendment C81moor in December 2018, which identified Hopetoun Park North as a residential growth area and contemplated either the Low Density Residential Zone or Neighbourhood Residential Zone with a Development Plan Overlay to manage lot-size and interface issues (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, pp.17-18). Amendment C103moor originally considered land on both sides of Hopetoun Park Road, with about 850 lots split between 400 lots west of Hopetoun Park Road and 450 lots east of Hopetoun Park Road, but the eastern land was removed after flora and fauna work and targeted species surveys identified significant environmental constraints (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, pp.18-19).
The exhibited amendment received 32 submissions, including five government agency submissions and 19 submissions opposed in full or part (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, pp.7, 21). The agency submissions came from Heritage Victoria, Agriculture Victoria, DEECA, Melbourne Water and DTP, which means the amendment was tested across heritage, agriculture, biodiversity, waterway and transport issues rather than only local amenity concerns (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, p.21).
Analysis
Statutory Mechanism and Development Yield
The amendment is not simply a rezoning; it creates a staged statutory pathway where the zone permits residential use, DPO7 controls the subdivision and infrastructure logic, DDO17 controls built form and setbacks, and ESO7 protects biodiversity areas (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, p.11). The Panel-supported package therefore works like a set of nested gates: the NRZ8 opens the land for residential development, the development plan must show the masterplan, transport plan, water plan, landscape plan, biodiversity plan and bushfire plan, and later permits must conform to those controls (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, pp.60-65).
The expected development outcome is about 400 residential lots within the amendment area, with 1,500 sqm minimum lots in Area A along the escarpment and Area B on the southern interface, and 800 sqm minimum lots in Area C through the balance of the precinct (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, p.7). The lot pattern is the core planning compromise: it accepts residential growth on land already identified in the BMUGF, but uses lower-density edge lots to soften the transition to the Bacchus Marsh Irrigation District and the existing Hopetoun Park low-density residential estate (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, pp.25-26).
The yield history matters because several infrastructure decisions depend on it: an earlier version had about 850 lots across both sides of Hopetoun Park Road, while later traffic advice assessed a potential 600-lot broader precinct comprising 400 lots in the amendment area and a conservative 200-lot estimate east of Hopetoun Park Road outside the amendment area (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, pp.18-19). This reduced scale is the reason the Western Freeway roundabout moved from a proposed infrastructure item to a deleted requirement, while the Hopetoun Park Road and Old Western Highway upgrade remained as a safety-linked commitment (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, pp.45-47).
Interface Design: Escarpment, Irrigation District and Existing Residential Land
The western edge is the most sensitive physical interface because the escarpment separates the new residential lots from the BMID and Pyrites Creek, and most of the escarpment land is not owned or managed by the proponent (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, pp.31-32). The Panel accepted a western interface formed by a minimum 20 metre linear reserve, a 2.5 metre shared path, a 5 metre revegetation strip and a local road, producing a minimum 47.3 metre setback from the top of escarpment to new dwellings (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, pp.7, 32, 37). Mechanically, this means the interface is not handled only by larger lots; it is handled by layering public open space, movement infrastructure, revegetation, road separation and private front setbacks before a dwelling can occur (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, pp.32-33).
The Panel concluded that the 47.3 metre dwelling setback would avoid overlooking, that there was no landslip risk, and that rural-style fencing and landscaping would be appropriate as an interim western boundary treatment where the full escarpment interface road was not yet delivered (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, p.37). This is a staging issue as much as an amenity issue: because the western interface depends partly on land outside the proponent’s ownership, DPO7 needs temporary controls to prevent early stages from leaving rear fences exposed to the escarpment while later interface land remains undeveloped (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, pp.35-37).
The southern edge is a different problem: Area B adjoins the established Hopetoun Park low-density residential estate, where existing lots range from 4,000 to 13,000 sqm and contain 264 dwellings (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, p.11). The Panel supported 1,500 sqm minimum Area B lots, a 20 metre rear dwelling setback and a 5 metre no-build landscape buffer on the southern boundary, finding that the existing dwellings already have setbacks ranging from about 18 metres to about 110 metres from the shared boundary (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, pp.39-41). The practical effect is a lower-density transition band, not a replication of the existing LDRZ pattern (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, pp.40-41).
Agricultural Land and the BMID
Agriculture Victoria raised broad concern about the loss of agricultural land to housing, but the Panel treated the strategic question as substantially settled by the BMUGF designation for urban development (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, pp.27, 34). The Panel found the land was not high-value or strategically important agricultural land and that its conversion would not be an inappropriate loss of agricultural land (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, p.27).
The BMID issue is more about reverse amenity than direct land loss: new residents could be affected by spray drift, machinery movement or other agricultural activity if the interface were too close (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, p.27). The Panel found the BMID is at least 150 metres west of the land and 50 metres lower in the landscape, and accepted that this distance, elevation separation and intervening reserves/setbacks would prevent the irrigation district from materially affecting residential amenity (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, p.27).
Transport and Access Dependencies
Hopetoun Park has a constrained access structure because traffic is distributed through one main corridor to either the Old Western Highway or the Western Freeway, and the Panel noted the absence of planned public transport services for Hopetoun Park (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, pp.44-45). This makes road safety and arterial access a binding planning dependency, even where traffic modelling says capacity is acceptable (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, pp.43-45).
The Old Western Highway and Hopetoun Park Road intersection is the main committed external road upgrade (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, pp.43-47). Head, TfV identified four crashes at the intersection between 2015 and 2019 and required delivery of the previously agreed functional layout at no cost to Head, TfV, while the proponent’s traffic expert found the intersection would operate within acceptable capacity limits at full build-out (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, pp.43-44). The Panel resolved this tension by supporting the upgrade as a safety and certainty measure, requiring it through a section 173 agreement before development plan approval and triggering delivery at the 350th residential lot (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, pp.44-47, 61-62).
The Western Freeway eastbound on-ramp roundabout was removed because the road authority accepted updated advice that the existing intersection would operate within acceptable capacity and safety limits for the reduced amendment scale (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, pp.45-46). The important residual risk is that Head, TfV required further assessment for any development beyond 400 lots because the on-ramp remains uncontrolled and increased traffic volumes could change the safety position (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, p.46). This means the deleted roundabout is not a permanent finding for all future development east and west of Hopetoun Park Road; it is a finding tied to the scale and density now before the Panel (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, pp.45-46).
Infrastructure, Open Space and Community Facilities
The precinct is isolated from existing community facilities, so the amendment relies on on-site provision rather than only incremental contributions to off-site networks (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, pp.48-49). The proponent committed to active open space works including a multi-purpose oval, district-level playground, tennis court, half basketball court, BMX pump track, toilets, amenities and barbeques within a 2 hectare park, plus land for a kindergarten, maternal and child health centre and community room, a local convenience centre, a neighbourhood park and a Community Infrastructure Levy of $1,253 per dwelling in 2022 dollars (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, p.16).
Open space is proposed to cover 10.8 per cent of the land, made up of active open space at 3.5 per cent, passive open space at 3.3 per cent and linear reserves at 4 per cent, compared with the standard 5 per cent public open space contribution under Clause 53.01 where no specific rate is set (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, p.49). The open space mechanism therefore performs multiple jobs: recreation for new and existing residents, an escarpment buffer, linear movement, biodiversity protection and landscape screening (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, pp.16, 49, 63-64).
Water, drainage and sewerage are not resolved by the rezoning alone; DPO7 requires evidence that reticulated water supply and sewerage can be provided, demonstration that water supply, sewerage, drainage, telecommunications, public transport and roads can be cost-effectively provided, and an Integrated Water Management Plan generally in accordance with the Afflux Stormwater Management Plan (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, pp.63-65). The Panel accepted that any required augmentation would be provided as a development cost through agreements with the relevant infrastructure authorities, but the source does not provide authority capacity letters, augmentation costs, staging dates or network trigger thresholds (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, pp.48-49).
Biodiversity, Waterways and Bushfire
The eastern portion of the original precinct was removed because significant environmental constraints were identified east of Hopetoun Park Road, including existing and potential grasslands and nationally significant species (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, pp.18-19). Within the remaining amendment area, a large area of remnant vegetation adjacent to Hopetoun Park Road is to be protected in a 6 hectare conservation reserve, with ESO7 applied to two biodiversity-significant areas (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, pp.7, 11).
DPO7 makes biodiversity a later-stage technical gate by requiring a Biodiversity Conservation Management Plan with habitat assessment for the Victorian Grassland Earless Dragon, targeted surveys for Diamond Firetail, Matted Flax-lily, Striped Legless Lizard and Tussock Skink across Plains Grassland and Open Woodland, and actions for retention, management, revegetation and restoration in conservation areas (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, pp.65-66). The Panel accepted that Pyrites Creek lies within the BMID at the base of the escarpment and discharges into the Werribee River, and found that DPO7, ESO7 and the integrated water management requirements would protect conservation values and address waterway risks (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, pp.50-51).
Bushfire is embedded into both subdivision layout and built-form controls (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, pp.52, 65-66). The Bushfire Mitigation and Management Plan must ensure no future development is exposed to radiant heat load greater than 12.5kW/m2, provide perimeter roads along the northern Western Freeway interface, western escarpment interface and woodland conservation reserve edges, and achieve hazard setbacks of 32 metres for Area A grassland/escarpment vegetation, 22 metres for northern grassland affecting Areas A and C, 33 metres for woodland hazards affecting Area C, and 19 metres for eastern grassland affecting Areas B and C (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, pp.65-66). This turns bushfire from a single permit assessment into a precinct layout constraint affecting roads, open space, landscaping and dwelling siting (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, pp.65-66).
Aboriginal Cultural Heritage
The Clarkeology preliminary assessment found one Aboriginal cultural heritage place on the land, confirmed that a CHMP was not required for rezoning, and Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation identified that a CHMP would be required for subdivision (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, pp.28-30). The Panel recommended deleting the DPO7 requirement for a Cultural Values Assessment, finding that a CHMP or CVA should not be required for the development plan and that the Clarkeology assessment already provided a preliminary indication of cultural heritage constraints (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, p.30).
The consequence is that cultural heritage is deferred to the Aboriginal Heritage Act process at subdivision stage rather than duplicated in the planning scheme amendment controls (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, pp.30, 60-65). The Panel noted that a voluntary CHMP before development plan preparation may be prudent, but the statutory amendment does not make it mandatory at that point (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, p.30).
Current Status
The Panel report dated 14 November 2025 recommended that Council adopt Amendment C103moor as exhibited, subject to the Panel-preferred DPO7 and DDO17 versions in Appendices C and D (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, p.26). Planning Panels Victoria then issued a correction report on 8 January 2026 after Council identified drafting issues: missing DDO17 Table 2, a split DPO7 dot point, and duplicated wastewater-management wording in the Integrated Water Management Plan requirements (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, pp.1-3).
The correction report states the Panel prepared a corrected Panel report dated 19 December 2025 and that Council should notify submitters because the original Panel report had been made public (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, pp.1-3). The available source does not evidence Council adoption, Ministerial approval or gazettal, and the Panel report states that the planning authority must consider the report before deciding whether to adopt the amendment, after which the amendment would need to be sent to the Minister for Planning for approval and then published in the Government Gazette if approved (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, preliminary notes).
Dependencies
- Blocks: Residential subdivision of the 62 hectare amendment area is blocked until the amendment is adopted, approved and translated into operative planning scheme controls, and later subdivision is blocked by development plan approval and permit-level compliance with DPO7, DDO17, ESO7 and section 173 obligations (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, pp.11, 60-69).
- Blocked by: The next statutory step is Council consideration of the corrected Panel report, followed by Ministerial approval if Council adopts the amendment; the source does not confirm that either step has occurred (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, preliminary notes, pp.1-3).
- Informed by: The Panel relied on listed technical material including traffic, noise, stormwater, infrastructure needs, agricultural, Aboriginal cultural heritage, biodiversity, landscape and bushfire reports, but those primary reports are not in the available compile manifest (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, pp.16, 58-59).
- Implements: The amendment implements the Hopetoun Park North residential growth-area direction from the Bacchus Marsh Urban Growth Framework 2018 and the planning scheme changes made by Amendment C81moor (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, pp.17-18, 23-26).
- Conflicts with: The main tensions are between greenfield housing and agricultural land protection, new lots and existing low-density residential character, road safety and reduced traffic-work scope, biodiversity protection and subdivision yield, and statutory cultural heritage sequencing versus local development-plan requirements (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, pp.27-52).
Cross-Jurisdictional Links
The main cross-agency links are with Department of Transport and Planning and Head, Transport for Victoria for the Old Western Highway, Western Freeway and Hopetoun Park Road access decisions (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, pp.42-47). Melbourne Water and DEECA were submitters, and the amendment requires integrated water management, stormwater risk assessment for Pyrites Creek and the Werribee River, and biodiversity controls for species and grassland values (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, pp.21, 50-51, 64-66). Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation is relevant at subdivision stage because a CHMP will be required for subdivision even though the Panel did not support making a CHMP or CVA a development-plan requirement (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, pp.28-30).
Gaps in This Analysis
This page is limited by a single-source corpus containing only the corrected Panel report and appendices (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf). Critical missing documents include the exhibited amendment documentation, Panel-preferred DPO7 and DDO17 in clean operative form, SALT and Traffix traffic reports, Afflux stormwater report, Nature Advisory flora and fauna reports, South Coast Bushfire Consultants bushfire assessment, Clarkeology Aboriginal cultural heritage assessment, Hansen landscape and visual reports, the infrastructure needs and development contributions analysis, agency submissions, public submissions and any Council adoption report after the corrected Panel report (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, pp.16, 58-59).
The biggest analytical gap is infrastructure quantification: the source confirms a 2 hectare active open space park, 0.76 hectare neighbourhood park, 6 hectare conservation reserve, 0.9 hectare drainage reserve, 10.8 per cent open space provision, $1,253 per dwelling Community Infrastructure Levy and a 350-lot trigger for the Old Western Highway upgrade, but it does not provide total infrastructure cost, per-lot cost, water/sewer augmentation scope, stormwater basin capacity, road-upgrade cost or development contribution apportionment (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, pp.16, 42-49, 63-65). A gap entry should be created in _gaps for the full Amendment C103moor exhibition and technical-report corpus because those documents are necessary to test the Panel’s conclusions rather than only report them (Source: moorabool-c103moor-corrections-report.pdf, pp.58-59).