The Trentham township structure plan will protect and enhance the existing character of our townships and to guide appropriate growth and development through providing a planning framework for private land use to 2050.

Through community engagement, township structure plans will seek to develop a shared vision that protects what we value, improves liveability, and empowers the community to thrive.

Your feedback and input through community engagement alongside research will guide the development of this plan.

Phase One: Initial Community Engagement

The initial step was to capture the community's sentiments on six themes: Housing, business and economic development, transport connectivity, neighbourhood character and urban design, cultural heritage and biodiversity.

The Trentham structure plan conversation starter (May 2023) was released exploring these themes and from 17 May to 2 July 2023 surveys were conducted to understand your values and priorities for the town. Community Conversations were also held in each town offering the community the opportunity to find out more and share their views in person as well.

The results of both engagement activities are provided in Trentham structure plan engagement report (July 2023). This is the beginning of the process of informing and developing the township structure plans with the community's input.

Thank you to the 69 people that completed the survey and the 27 people who attended Community Conversations in Trentham, across both engagement activities there were key elements of strong agreement amongst the community.

The community and lifestyle and connection to environment highly valued, and people believe Trentham can make better use of its natural environment and the trails around the town.

People are cautious about growth and feel that the development of the town needs to be managed to ensure it does not change the fabric of the town.

When considering opportunities for improvement, key themes were;

You can read about all the findings in the Trentham structure plan engagement report (July 2023)

The 2022 Trentham survey was a community run initiative facilitated by the Trentham Trumpet. It collected the opinions of residents and community groups with the intent to provide it to Council for this structure planning process.

We heard you Trentham and we thank you for your efforts. These findings will help shape the future of your town.

The summary prepared for Hepburn Shire Council in January 2023 found that:

• Residents value Trentham's small and rural nature, sense of community, it's space, quietness and access to nature.
• They value its peaceful, non-suburban appearance and lifestyle.
• They are extremely concerned about the amount of subdivision, battle-axe/small blocks and inappropriate development taking place and the lack of planning provisions to prevent this.
• Ideally, they want the town to remain looking as it does, to preserve its identity, with only considered and appropriate development taking place.

The 2022 Trentham survey findings are available for you to read in our Document Library section.

The next phase will be to further explore your priorities in the upcoming co design workshops in late October and early November.

In early 2024 your feedback alongside input from research and technical studies will shape the development of the draft township structure plan that will be released for public comment.

The final stage is adoption of these structure plans which is earmarked for mid 2024.

We encourage you to register for Council's e-newsletter Hepburn Life to receive updates on these activities.