Strategic Planning

Strategic planning is the process of ensuring the Central Goldfields Planning Scheme is delivering state and Council policy and directions for land use and development.

As our community changes and as the policy and legislative framework also changes, it is important to ensure Council has a clear, long-term vision for future use, development, protection and conservation of land, to guide how the planning scheme evolves and ensure these objectives can be delivered.

This is achieved by undertaking studies to inform new or revised planning scheme controls – such as the Land Use Framework Plan, the Flood Controls Review, and the Heritage Review.

Following completion of a review process, Council may need to undertake a planning scheme amendment to implement the findings.

Council’s amendments must be authorised by the Minister for Planning. That is, they must make proper use of the Victorian Planning Provisions, be consistent with the state and regional policy directions (Planning Policy Framework) and comply with any statutory requirements and ministerial directions.

In some instances, changes to the planning scheme are made by the Minister for Planning directly.