By Pam Kiriakidis

Mitchell Shire Council, City of Whittlesea and Hume City Council have co-signed a historic regional partnership committing to the delivery of the Cloverton Metropolitan Activity Centre. 

In its first collaborative meeting, representatives from each of three councils gathered at the City of Whittlesea chambers on Tuesday to discuss the strategic importance of Cloverton becoming the new capital of the northern growth corridor.

Cloverton is a Stockland property development that falls across the three council boundaries.

The council partnership was created to work together in ensuring Cloverton will be developed into a new suburb, with not only shopping facilities but also health services, education, and recreational opportunities. 

When completed, Cloverton will service a wide regional catchment, becoming the primary employment and service centre for the growing suburbs of Mickleham, Kalkallo, Donnybrook, Beveridge, and Wallan – estimated to home 380,000 residents and provide 50,000 jobs.

The councils will make joint efforts to seek further support and partnership with the State Government to ensure the precinct is delivered with innovation and sustainability.

The State Government has designated Cloverton as a Metropolitan Activity Centre, similar to areas such as Dandenong, Ringwood, Broadmeadows, Epping, and Box Hill.

Mitchell Shire Council Mayor Fiona Stevens, who was deputy chair at last week’s meeting, said Cloverton had an ‘opportunity’ to be known as a social and business hub in the southern part of Mitchell and well positioned on the northern side of the metropolitan Melbourne. 

“It will serve all the people in Mitchell, it will accommodate [at a] regional level, community facilities that will be designed with flexibility in mind so they can adapt to the changing needs and also future needs, some of which may not even be known or identified to us,” she said.

“This will ensure long-term service relevance and benefit to our communities. We’re aiming for Cloverton to be a place where living, working and visiting is a welcoming experience, and importantly it must be easily accessible.”

City of Whittlesea chair administrator Lydia Wilson emphasised the importance of the new regional partnership, stating it embodied innovation and a commitment to achieving better outcomes for the communities involved. 

“We want to not just plan but really plan with purpose, we want to work to reflect our collective vision but also that of our external partners,” she said. 

“To that end, it’s really vital that we work closely with the Victorian Government to ensure this establishment of Cloverton is underpinned by really high-quality planning and development.

“But we also need to work closely with the many other partners including landowners, multiple government departments, the education sector, the community services sector and businesses as they’ll all be playing a really pivotal role in our ongoing journey.”

Hume City Mayor Joseph Haweil, who chaired the meeting, said there was ‘strong, passion, and commitment’ from the joint councils in achieving something special at Cloverton. 

“This partnership recognises a once-in-a-generation opportunity to plan for a new city and to service the growing northern corridor,” he said.

“While all councils proudly represent our three communities, together we are united in planning and advocating for what will be a new city that sits around our three boundaries.”

Planning for Cloverton is now underway with further consultation to come.