Mitchell Shire Council will move to ensure Kilmore developers make community infrastructure contributions with an amendment to the Kilmore South East Growth Precinct Development Plan.
Council partially approved the plan for properties at 15 and 105 Wandong Road and 50 McIvors Road at last month’s meeting, with the remainder of the plan to be finalised along with the adoption of a development contribution plan overlay, DCPO, requiring developer infrastructure contributions throughout the precinct.
In lieu of a current DCPO, council will enter into section 173 agreements with landowners at each of the three properties, setting out conditions for development with each individual owner.
Council said the approval of the plan at the three properties would pave the way for a future government primary school, a council facility, local parks and tree reserves, and about 500 residential lots.
The entire growth precinct of about 186 hectares is bounded by the Northern Highway to the west, Wandong road to the south, Quinns Road to the east and existing residential areas below Anderson Street to the north.
As currently proposed, the precinct would feature about 1600 residential lots when fully developed.
Council received feedback from 24 submitters when it informally exhibited the development plan in November last year.
Some councillors expressed reservations about average lot sizes set out in the development plan but said community feedback would be incorporated before the plan’s adoption.
“There was one thing I was worried about … and that was the term ‘an average lot size of 600 square metres’,” Cr Louise Bannister said.
“It was brought up by a lot of the submitters that it did not match the area, and I have to concur that it doesn’t, and so does the Kilmore Structure Plan.
“Those concerns … have been [taken into account] and it is definitely a requirement that the lot sizes are not an average size of 600 [square metres] but between 600 and 900 square metres, which is much more appropriate for the area and aligns with our structure plan.”
Cr Rob Eldridge said it was important to plan for the future of Kilmore’s south-east.
“Development plans play an important role in a coordinated … way of implementing subdivisions, rather than the piecemeal way in the past where each developer did their own thing and streets didn’t align,” he said.
“This is a major factor in improving the way we provide services for the community.”
Cr Fiona Stevens said the plan would be reviewed.
“These finer details will be embedded in the process further down the track,” she said.
“I congratulate the 24 submitters who took time to submit to this. It’s great to have that input from the community.”
People can view the Kilmore South East Growth Precinct Development Plan as currently constructed by visiting www.mitchellshire.vic.gov.au/planning-and-building/strategic-planning/strategic-projects-and-development-plans/kilmore-south-east-proposed-development-plan.
