The Stawell Future Growth Area Master Plan

Project Overview

The Future Growth Area Master Plan is required to investigate the suitability, housing yield, number of years and staging for rezoning of land identified in 'future residential growth area' identified in the Stawell Structure Plan. The main long term growth front of Stawell has been identified south of the township along Sloane Street. It is likely that this land can accommodate the majority of Stawell’s greenfield development demand over the next 30 years and beyond. The 135ha precinct has the potential to accommodate the majority of population and housing growth within the Shire for the next 30-50 years.

This work will enable Council to consider an Amendment to the Planning Scheme to:

Amend Clause 11.01-1L Settlement - Northern Grampians to include the Stawell Structure Plan.
Include in the Schedule to Clause 74.02 Further Strategic Work the further strategic work to require to be undertaken prior to any residential rezoning in the 'Urban Growth Investigation Area' including assessments of native vegetation, bushfire risk, flooding, drainage, infrastructure, sewer servicing, community and social infrastructure, development contributions requirements and any other matters relevant.
Include in the planning scheme future planning requirements for the 'Urban Growth Investigation Area' such as the preparation of a structure plan, to ensure land use and development outcomes are well considered, respond to the strategic assessment undertaken for the area, supports staged long-term growth and delivers liveable neighbourhoods.

The process will involve 3 phases on stakeholder engagement.

Phase 1: Targeted engagement with landowners.

Phase 2: Test emerging issues and opportunities through general and targeted engagement using a mix of surveys, workshops (TBC), pop-up listening posts and one on one interview.

Phase 3: Submission on final Growth Area Master Plan.

Stawell Future Growth Area Masterplan Diagrams

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What is a Master Plan?

A Master Plan is a long-term plan to guide Council decisions about future development on private and public land within a town or centre. It outlines a vision and key objectives and strategies to implement its goals in line with community expectations. It seeks to provide a staged plan to guide the future evolution of site or precinct, in response to established and emerging considerations and opportunities, such as population growth or environmental constraints.

Why is a Master Plan needed?

One of the key issues facing Stawell is a lack in the supply and diversity of housing. The current housing market is not providing a range of housing that responds to the diverse needs of the existing community and prospective future residents. Key issues beyond the planning system are also creating barriers to the supply of new housing such as construction cost difficulties and a lack of capital growth.

The current supply of housing in Stawell is generally made up of an aging stock of detached single storey dwellings. While the population of Stawell has been stable for a number of years, the current market lacks sufficient supply for key population cohorts such as down-sizers, young professionals and families, renters, and short and long term options. In particular, and similar to other regional centres, Stawell has an ageing population, which will increase the proportion of lone person and couple households.

Providing opportunities for new housing also has the ability to attract new residents. Stawell is a well serviced town providing a range of essential community facilities that could reasonably support a further increase in population. Increasing the supply and diversity of housing is therefore essential to ensure Stawell can grasp the exciting opportunities that it is presented with.

In fulfilling Council’s strategic vision for a new urban growth area, held in the Stawell Structure Plan, the Master Plan will:

Identify locations for new residential development and dwelling types and densities.
Establish a suite of land uses (including commercial, community and recreational) to support the growth area and to service broader Stawell.
Define a road network and hierarchy to support access and movement of various transport nodes across the site and integrated with the surrounds.
Establish an open space network comprising a mix of active and passive parklands.
Provide a site planning response that is responsive to environmental constraints and opportunities.

Click here(PDF, 20MB) to download a copy of the Stawell Future Growth Area Master Plan Diagrams.

Will my property be affected?

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Stawell Structure Plan and Western Highway Urban Design Framework

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The Stawell Structure Plan

Adopted by Council in 2021, the Stawell Structure Plan sets out a long-term vision for the township and provides a roadmap to guide the future planning of the area over the next 20-30 years. The plan establishes a framework and outlines key directions and opportunities for change to foster the future growth and development of the township.

A key action of the Structure Plan sought to identify locations for new residential development, including infill housing and areas for new growth at the township's periphery. Additionally, a policy priority within the Northern Grampians Shire Planning Scheme is to accommodate population growth within Stawell. The township has the capacity to accommodate the majority of projected housing growth within the Shire.

The main long term growth front for Stawell has been identified south of the township along Sloane St. It is likely that this land can accommodate the majority of Stawell's greenfield development demand over the next 30 years and beyond. This area was chosen due to its relatively limited heritage and environmental constraints, access to existing infrastructure, and proximity to the existing township.

Click here(PDF, 10MB) to download a copy of the Stawell Structure Plan (2021).

The Western Highway Urban Design Framework

The Western Highway Urban Design Framework forms part of the broader Stawell Town Plan seeking to achieve Council’s long term strategic ambition to make Stawell a better place to live, work, invest and visit (Council Plan 2017-21). The Town Plan project includes two components, a Structure Plan which sets the framework for the future planning and development of the entire township for the next 20-30 years and an Urban Design Framework (this report) identifying the vision and directions for future investment and development along the Western Highway, with an ambition to enhance the arrival experience into Stawell.

Click here(PDF, 11MB) to download a copy of the Stawell Western Highway Urban Design Framework.

Technical Studies

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Residential Land Supply and Demand Assessment

An updated Land Supply and Demand Assessment has been undertaken for Stawell to identify the current supply of residentially zoned land. This includes all land zoned within the General Residential Zone (GRZ), Mixed Use Zone (MUZ), and Low Density Residential Zone (LDRZ).

This provides an update to Chapter 6 of the previous Stawell Structure Plan & Urban Design Framework Discussion Paper (August 2020) based on the availability of new 2021 census data from ABS, new planning and building permit approvals data from Council and new 2022 aerial mapping.

Population demand only provides one half of the demand picture. Planning and building permit data from the last five years has been analysed across the Stawell postcode (3380).

Click here(PDF, 1MB) to download a copy of the Stawell Updated Residential Supply & Demand Assessment.

Activity Centre Assessment

The Stawell Structure Plan identified a growth area as an extension of the urban area to the south-east of Stawell. The presence and location of a “Neighbourhood Activity Centre” to service the growth area is identified in the Structure Plan as one of the issues for determination:

Determine an appropriate location for a Neighbourhood Activity Centre to provide local retail and service needs. This is likely to be along Sloane Street near the corner of the Western Highway however consideration should be given to the Western Highway interface and how further commercial land in this area will impact on the main commercial core of the Western Highway Precinct at Seaby Street.

It is important to note that no assessment of likely demand for the activity centre was undertaken as part of the Structure Planning process, and that the designation “Neighbourhood Activity Centre” does not necessarily imply a centre of a particular size or function in the Northern Grampians hierarchy of Activity Centres. The designation is simply acknowledging that the residents of the Future Growth Area will be some distance from the established Activity Centres – Stawell Town Centre and the Western Highway/Seaby Street service area – and that it would be preferable to provide access to some level of retail service nearby.

Click here(PDF, 8MB) to download a copy of Stawell's Urban Growth Area - Activity Centre Assessment.

Traffic & Transport Assessment

Strategic level traffic and transport advice has been prepared for consideration in the draft Stawell Future Growth Area Structure Plan. Please note that a revised high-level road network layout has been prepared within the Draft Stawell Future Growth Area Masterplan Diagrams, and mapping prepared for this document may have changed.

Street Typology

Street typologies within the Future Growth Area include Neighbourhood, Local Activity, and Residential Connector Streets. Please note that street width may vary, and parking bays may be indented within verge area where required. Images below are for illustrative purposes only and should not be considered indicative of future dwelling heights or setbacks. The aspirational street typologies for the Future Growth Area include:

Neighbourhood Streets
- Local streets that support residential land use and social interaction. Provision of safety and amenity of residents and activity.

Local Activity Street
- Mixed-use street providing access to public land uses. There is space allocated for amenities and interaction. It supports access to community facilities and foster a strong sense of community.
Residential Connector Street
- Access corridor which moves high volumes of people. These are thoroughfares that run alongside residential areas. It provides access to destinations serving people in the local neighbourhood.
Click here(PDF, 3MB) to download a copy of the Stawell Future Growth Area Traffic Assessment.

Bushfire Assessment

The bushfire assessments have been prepared to inform decision making associated with strategic planning and the strategic application of Clause 13.02-1S Bushfire Planning of the Northern Grampians Planning Scheme. The bushfire assessments do not consider bushfire for the purpose of planning applications, including under Clause 44.06 Bushfire Management Overlay.

Recommendations in this report only have regard to bushfire considerations. The Council will use these recommendations alongside other considerations in determining where ands how development can occur. A recommendation in this report does not preclude the necessity for non-bushfire factors to be applied and which may, ultimately, make a recommendation in this report neither feasible or deliverable.

The objectives of this investigation into managing bushfire risk as the masterplan is implemented are:

Produce a high-level landscape bushfire risk assessment for the growth area and its context.
Recommend any further measures to manage bushfire risk in addition to the existing provisions, including the Bushfire Management Overlay (BMO).
Make recommendations on whether the draft masterplan needs to be modified to ensure that Clause 13.05-15 Bushfire Planning of the Planning Scheme is met.
Provide advice on bushfire risk mitigation measures that could dovetail with other strategies in the Masterplan, such as location of open space, collector roads or other urban features, and proposed staging

Click here(PDF, 10MB) to download a copy of the South Stawell Growth Area Bushfire Planning Assessment.

Ecology Assessment

A preliminary ecological assessment (or sometimes referred to as a ‘flora and fauna assessment’) is the first stage of an investigation into the biodiversity values of a site. It includes background investigations into threatened flora, fauna and ecological communities (collectively referred to as ‘ecological values’) as well as a basic site assessment focusing on threatened species habitat and mapping areas of native vegetation. It aims to provide guidance on future investigations that may be required to comply with policy and to identify opportunities for protecting ecological values. It does not aim to qualitatively assess or otherwise address relevant policy.

A rare or threatened species (ROTS) or community is flora, fauna or vegetation community that is protected under either of the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) and Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 (FFG Act).

The objective of the study is to identify areas which have potential ecological value so that they can be considered for incorporation into the Stawell Growth Area Masterplan. This is achieved by:

Identifying ecological values which should be protected in the Masterplan.

Recommending strategies for incorporating protected ecological values into the Masterplan.
Recommending strategies that could both protect ecological values and help create the future identity and amenity of the Stawell Growth Area.
Identifying parts of the site where Master planning can proceed on the basis that there are not significant ecological constraints.
Recommending further investigations or management strategies that should be incorporated into further stages of planning, beyond the masterplanning (E.g. into subdivisions based on the Masterplan).

Click here(PDF, 36MB) to download a copy of the Preliminary Ecological Assessment of the Stawell Urban Growth Area.

Cultural Heritage Assessment

An assessment of the potential impact on Cultural Heritage by development within the Future Growth Area has been undertaken to inform the Masterplan. This assessment found that the proposed activity area is not located within an area of cultural sensitivity. The closest area of cultural sensitivity is Pleasant Creek which is located 682m west of the study area at the closest point. There are drainage channels that fan off from Pleasant Creek across the study area which could potentially contain Aboriginal cultural heritage, however, at the time of writing these drainage channels are not considered culturally sensitive under the Aboriginal Heritage Regulations 2018.

Significant ground disturbance is defined in the Aboriginal Heritage Regulations 2018 (r. 5) as:

‘…disturbance of –
- (a) the topsoil or surface rock layer of the ground; or
- (b) a waterway – by machinery in the course of grading, excavating, digging, dredging or deep ripping, but does not include ploughing other than deep ripping.'

Deep ripping is further defined as ‘the ploughing of soil using a ripper or subsoil cultivation tool to a depth of 60 centimetres or more’.

A review of the VAHR held at First Peoples – State Relations (FP-SR) has resulted in the conclusion that there are a total of nine registered Aboriginal Places, comprising of a total of 27 components, and 30 archaeological reports within a 5km radius of the proposed study area (Figure 8).

The review of CHMPs in the geographic region highlights clearing, ploughing, and urbanisation as contributors to ground disturbance in the region; however, a determination of the extent and significance of this disturbance is not possible without further investigation.

Click here(PDF, 10MB) to download a copy of the Stawell Future Growth Area Cultural Heritage Assessment.