Council is set to decide its position on whether to approve the Development Plan for land on the outskirts of Bright, currently owned by Melbourne developers the Deague family.
Council this month opted to call in the decision on the Development Plan, ensuring a matter with such broad community interest has Councillor oversight.
The property sits on the western edge of Bright township, forming part of the future Bright Western Gateway Development.
It is broadly bordered by Great Alpine Road to the north, Stackey Gully Road to the south-east, and the Tower Hill escarpment to the south-west.
Alpine Shire Mayor Sarah Nicholas said Council will consider the application for the development on Tuesday, 5 July.
“The site was identified as an ideal area for urban growth during a land review in 2005 and rezoned in 2015,” she said.
“As housing availability becomes an increasingly serious issue, future development of the land has become an important step towards easing housing pressure in Bright and surrounds.
“We understand there is concern from some members of the community about over development and the capacity of local services and infrastructure to handle an increase in demand.
“These concerns are understood and we thank the community for sharing their views with us.
“We have a number of factors to weigh up in making this decision.”
The land was rezoned from Farming Zone to General Residential Zone in 2015, with a number of planning controls in place.
It is these planning controls that guide the current development plan submission.
Cr Nicholas said that when the rezoning was proposed, the community was able to object to outline concerns about future development on the site.
“With completion of the rezoning to General Residential in 2015, there are no further provisions under the Planning Scheme for community notification or engagement before the assessment and decision on the Development Plan,” she said.
“We know this lack of public involvement may concern people in our community, and we are committed to providing information about this, and future developments.”
The agenda for the July Council Meeting will be available on Council’s website on Friday, 1 July. The meeting will be open to the public and also live streamed on Council’s YouTube channel.
The Development Plan is a high-level step towards future development of the site.
It is not a plan for subdivision, nor does it describe the houses or how many there will be.
Any future development will be subject to conditions and oversight from the Alpine Planning Scheme through the Council’s Planning Department and Councillors.
A Development Plan allows a developer to proceed to further steps in the development process, and places some requirements over the land to be developed to guide the future subdivision of the site.
Learn more about the history, opportunities, challenges and next steps of this project on Council’s website at www.alpineshire.vic.gov.au/bright-western-gateway-development.
Community members are invited to connect with Councillors at a Community Drop In at the Bright Library from 10am - 12pm on Saturday, 2 July.
Alpine Shire Mayor Sarah Nicholas, Councillor Simon Kelley and Councillor Katarina Hughes will be on site to discuss the Development Plan process and answer community questions.