CLOSED: Have your say on the Bacchus Marsh Town Centre Structure Plan

The purpose of the Structure Plan is to establish a framework for guiding land use and development within the Bacchus Marsh Town Centre, with a particular focus on delivering the community objectives from the Vision Statements, including:

1. A sustainable Town Centre that showcases its rural charm and history, and protects and celebrates its heritage and natural assets.

2. A vibrant Town Centre with a clear sense of arrival, central meeting place and economically activated main street, well supported by bustling side streets, which all showcase the rural charm of Moorabool Shire.

3. A welcoming Town Centre, with a strong regionally focused economy that attracts commercial uses and activities to supply the needs of the local and wider regional community.

4. An accessible Town Centre, which provides community buildings, parks, commercial and residential areas, convenient public transport and parking options, all linked by tree-lined streets and safe walking and cycling infrastructure.

5. An inviting Town Centre which encourages appropriately located residential development to achieve sustainable and diverse housing outcomes.

A study area has been devised that includes the retail core and immediate surrounds, the Bacchus Marsh Station, and the potential for additional pedestrian links to be established.

An important focus for the project is the town centre retail core and the immediate areas surrounding it including pedestrian connections to the Bacchus Marsh Station. The project will also consider the interface and integration of the town centre retail core with residential areas in proximity to the town centre.

• Draft Structure Plan 2024(PDF, 21MB)
• Summary Document 2024(PDF, 967KB)
• Project update January 2023(PDF, 1MB)
• Vision Consultation Summary April 2023(PDF, 14MB)
• Previous 2011 Structure Plan(PDF, 9MB)

• Draft Retail Strategy(PDF, 3MB)

What is a Structure Plan?

A Structure Plan is a document that develops a shared long-term vision to guide land use, built form, public space and infrastructure within an activity centre. The Structure Plan ensures that future growth is accommodated in an orderly and sustainable manner and may include key directions and improvement projects to help achieve the vision and proposes land use zoning changes, built form guidelines and changes to overlays. Once a Structure Plan is adopted by Council, it will be implemented into the Moorabool Planning Scheme via a future planning scheme amendment process.

Why are we doing this now?

The existing Structure Plan was completed before the Bacchus Marsh Urban Growth Framework identified large residential investigation areas which will increase the number of people visiting the town. An update is required in order to ensure that it can remain a pleasant and attractive regional town into the future.

What consultation has occurred?

Following the Round 1 consultation with stakeholders and community, a vision was developed to guide the preparation of the Draft Structure Plan. The Vision consultation summary is viewable in the document library.

How will your feedback and participation inform the project?

All feedback will be reviewed and potential changes as an outcome of feedback will be considered. A Round 2 community consultation feedback summary will be prepared and published following this round of consultation.

What plans have been made for the Civic Precinct?

The draft Structure Plan 2024 and the Activity Centre Structure Plan 2011 both indicate a Civic precinct located behind the RSL and Library. The draft Structure Plan 2024 does not set out specific land uses or development for this site beyond broad guidelines. A future civic precinct design may include community, civic (council), retail and commercial uses. Future designs would consider community feedback, including any received through this consultation.

What are the next steps for this project?

 After consultation finishes, Council will review the feedback and make any required changes to the Structure Plan. A final Structure Plan will be brought to Council for adoption along with a community consultation summary.

• Project inception & Site visit (complete)
• Background Review & Analysis Consultation round #1 (complete)
• Visioning & Emerging ideas (complete)
• Draft Structure Plan Consultation round (current)
• Final Structure Plan adoption (planned)