At the time of its creation, the architectural style of Dinner Plain was embedded in covenants over much of the site to ensure the future development of this village will continue to reflect the distinctive and unique alpine style of the village.
Construction in the village is restricted to timber, stone, and corrugated iron, with a limited range of colours approved.
Development in Dinner Plain
Most land in Dinner Plain is the beneficiary of a covenant, lodged on the title at the time of subdivision in the 1980’s. A covenant is a rule of obligation placed on a property title that a title owner must abide by.
Among other things, the covenants require written approval of the proposed siting and design of any development from Dinner Plain Pty Ltd or MHSC Pty Ltd (MHSC Pty Ltd has subrogated decision making on covenants to Dinner Plain Pty Ltd, to ensure consistency and efficiency of decisions).
There are two general covenants applying to development in Dinner Plain. Among other items, the covenants generally require the approval in writing by Dinner Plain Pty Ltd for:
- A building to be constructed to lock up stage
- The siting of any buildings on the land
- Alterations, extensions, or rebuilds of existing buildings
Is there a covenant?
If yes, contact Dinner Plain Pty Ltd at admin@dinnerplain.org at the earliest opportunity to discuss your design ideas for the site and whether these will be supported.
If no, consider the design guidelines at Special Use Zone – Schedule 1 and how they can be incorporated into any design response for the site. You may wish to contact Council’s Planning Department for a pre application meeting at this time.
Do I have approval for proposed development?
If yes, apply for planning approval with letter of support by Dinner Plain Pty Ltd. Applications with Dinner Plain Pty Ltd consent can be expediated through the planning process.
Any application without support will not be considered by Council.
What does the Alpine Planning Scheme say?
Dinner Plain is located in the Special Use Zone – Schedule 1.
The Zone includes direction for the intended use of the land and a specific Development Code at Clause 8.0, that describes the intended design outcome for the land. The control is a written interpretation of the architectural and land use vision for Dinner Plain.
In particular, the Development Code is seeking to protect the following architectural characteristics of Dinner Plain:
- Provide a human scale to the entry spaces of buildings with single storey porticos, framed by low roofs
- Varying roof profiles
- Overall height and length of walls reduced with stone entry porticos supported by timber columns and projecting rooms creating a sense of depth and relief
- Irregular placement of windows in the walls, emphasising the creation of nooks and crannies (lofts) to add charm and variety
- The retention of the trees in most developments allows the housing stock to merge into the landscape
- Small-scale windows used in most houses and irregular windows and attention to detail enhances the character and visual intrigue of the dwelling
- Rooflines dropping down to almost ground level, with no gutters or downpipes to facilitate snow shedding
- The use of a mix of wall materials including timber, stone, and small elements of Colorbond® and glass
- Detail to gable roof ends, intimate entry porches, stone walling, irregular timber columns, intricate timber fretwork detail around the eave line
- Subdued colour schemes throughout each building in the walls, roof, and trim details so as to blend harmoniously with the snow gums
- Front elevations having an intimate scale, assisted by sweeping rooflines, chimney articulation, highlight windows, and small window openings
- Building external balconies around existing trees extends the interior of the house outside and integrates the architecture with the natural environment
- Recessed, single entry garage doors to ensure they are not dominant elements
It is important to discuss your idea for a development with Council and Dinner Plain Pty Ltd at your earliest opportunity to ensure that any proposal for the site is in accordance with the overall vision for the village. There are components of the design guidelines that may introduce additional cost into a development. However, understanding what these are prior to designing your building should ensure you are able to achieve an acceptable outcome.
Applications supported by Dinner Plain Pty Ltd can be expediated through the planning assessment process.
Council intends to update the planning controls to reflect more recent information and requirements in relation to bushfire planning and native vegetation removal. Updating the planning controls is a process that takes 18 – 24 months to complete.
In the interim, Council will adopt a sensible approach that balances the current regulations with the intended vision for Dinner Plain. This may include requirements for different building materials or siting of development to mitigate vegetation loss.
Over the past 10 years, there has been an understanding that Council could consider the appropriateness of applications at Dinner Plain without approval from Dinner Plain Pty Ltd. Covenants are a separate legal mechanism that run with the title of a property and are implemented outside of the planning system. A planning permit cannot be granted where it may be contrary to any covenants registered on title.
There is no existing mechanism to avoid this requirement.
The Dinner Plain community, Dinner Plain Pty Ltd and Council all recognise the unique nature of the village. The restrictive covenants in concert with the Alpine Planning Scheme has enabled the architectural integrity and cohesiveness of design to be an aftermarket attribute, which has no peer in planning/development anywhere else in Australia.
The unique architecture is the cornerstone of success of the Dinner Plain village. The architectural and planning integrity will continue to be governed by the restrictive covenants and the Council planning process to produce alpine buildings which fit within the Dinner Plain architectural vernacular.
The Special Use Zone is clear in its intent and Council’s planning department will assess the application against the design guidelines in the Development Code at Clause 8.0 of the Special Use Zone – Schedule 1.
