A very large turnout last Saturday for an information session on the Draft Structure Plan for Daylesford indicated substantial community interest in the proposals.
Over 140 people attended the meeting at the Daylesford Town Hall forcing some to find seats in the balcony.
Most of the comments and questions from the audience focussed on affordable housing, the investigation area around the transfer station and the proposed boundary extension along East Street.
Interest is such that, with the community also grappling with a short feedback deadline on the draft budget, Council has extended the deadline for comment on the Draft Structure Plan to June 26.
Feedback to date has been important for officers and Councillors to further assess the community’s views and concerns. Council will shortly provide a summary of Frequently Asked Questions with responses.
Mayor, Cr Brian Hood said, “We know there is a lot of detail and so we’ve decided to extend the consultation period so we can gain more insights from the community. Though the deadline is extended by a fortnight, it will still give us time to fully consider that feedback and work to adopt the strategy in early September.
‘The submissions will all be considered by Councillors, and I can assure community members that we are taking all feedback into account and will continue to do so before we consider possible adoption’, said Cr Hood.
The Rural Hepburn strategy provides sits along side the Township plans and provides a comprehensive planning and action framework for the use and development of private rural land. Initial community feedback has reaffirmed that agricultural land is highly valued, contributes significant economic benefits, that conservation and biodiversity are important, and that rural tourism is a significant growth contributor.
Council’s Chief Executive Officer Mr Bradley Thomas says, ‘Community engagement has been integral in providing further local knowledge, the small, but highly skilled Strategic Planning team have gathered great insights from the community and submissions to date, which they will review and provide recommendations to Councillors.’
In addition to active community meetings around the Shire, there have been thousands of visits to the Participate Hepburn site and almost 500 people have completed the survey to date.
For further information, visit Future Hepburn | Participate Hepburn or email strategicplanning@hepburn.vic.gov.au
This article is based on a media release from Hepburn Shire Council.
