The township structure plans serve to protect and enhance the existing township character and guide appropriate growth and development by providing a planning framework for private land use.

The voices of the community have been integral to the development of the structure plans, providing local knowledge and defining the towns' future vision. During the initial and deeper community engagement we have sought to understand the community's thoughts, preferences and opinions about their vision for their township. This feedback has directly influenced the development of the township structure plans' vision and objectives and influenced the included strategies and actions.

Together with the community engagement findings, the township structure plans are influenced by a range of state and local policies and background studies, additional Shire strategies and planning documents, and technical studies. Bringing together this knowledge the structure plans will protect what we value, improve township livability, and empower our communities to thrive.

To give greater certainty to the implementation of the community developed vision for each township, it is necessary that a number of key actions are included in the Hepburn Planning Scheme. The draft Structure Plans includes those proposed actions.

Section 10.1 Statutory Planning, and the accompanying maps, outline the land proposed to be rezoned and new overlays to be applied. An accompanying list of properties that are affected by the proposed zoning changes has been provided below.

If your property is located in the streets listed, please review the relevant draft Structure Plan to see what the changes may mean for you. If you are unclear, we encourage you to come and chat with us at any of the Community Information Sessions or contact us at strategicplanning@hepburn.vic.gov.au.

You can learn more about the structure plans and participate by:

• Reading through each township's project page by clicking on the township buttons above.
• Attending a Community Information Session. Speak to a planner at one of the six sessions that will be held across the Shire. An Introduction Presentation will be given by a Strategy Planner outlining the key planning elements within the township structure plans and Rural Hepburn. See the dates below for a Session near you.
• Attend an online webinar.
• Lodge a submission online or by mail. Submissions are open from 1 May to 12 June 2024.

Community Information Sessions

• Creswick: Friday 17 May, from 5pm to 8pm at the RSL, 60 Albert Street, Creswick.
  • Introduction Presentation will commence at 7pm.
• Trentham: Friday 24 May, from 5pm to 8pm at the Trentham Neighbourhood Centre, 56 High Street, Trentham.
  • Introduction Presentation will commence at 7pm.
• Hepburn Springs: Saturday 25 May, from 9am to 12pm at the Bendigo Community Bank building, 113 Main Street, Hepburn Springs.
  • Introduction Presentation will commence at 11am.
• Glenlyon: Saturday 25 May 2024, from 2pm to 5pm at the Glenlyon Shire Hall, Barkly Street, Glenlyon.
  • Introduction Presentation will commence at 4pm.
• Clunes: Saturday 1 June, from 9am to 12pm at the Clunes Town Hall, 98 Bailey Street, Clunes.
  • Introduction Presentation will commence at 11am.
• Daylesford: Saturday 1 June, from 2pm to 5pm at the Daylesford Town Hall, 76 Vincent Street, Daylesford.
  • Introduction Presentation will commence at 4pm.

The final stage is adoption of these structure plans, inclusive of community feedback, is earmarked for adoption later this year.

Initial Community Engagement

During the initial engagement phase, we sought to capture the community's sentiments on six key themes - housing, business and economy, environment and heritage, urban design, movement and access, and community and cultural infrastructure.

From 17 May to 2 July 2023 township surveys were conducted and six Community Conversations were held offering the community the opportunity to find out more and share their views. Shire-wide, 499 people completed the online survey and 105 people attended Community Conversations. Thank you to the many community members who shared their thoughts with us. We appreciate your feedback and input. An engagement report detailing the information collected is included in the township tabs below.

Deeper Community Engagement

During October and November of 2023, we brought together five groups of community members in each of the key townships to begin working on drafting the structure plans. Each Community Panel worked together to develop a shared vision and the key objectives across the six key themes. An engagement report detailing the process and raw data from each of the township panel sessions is included in the township tabs below. We have aimed to bring those visions and objectives to life during the drafting process.

The strategies and actions within the structure plans were developed from the initial community engagement phase, current Council strategies and plans, and the recommendations from various technical studies that were undertaken as part of the Future Hepburn project.

We look forward to hearing your feedback on the draft structure plans from 1 May and 12 June 2024.

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