By Matthew Sims
The Casey community is encouraged to provide feedback on a new planning scheme amendment, which involves a review of the planning framework for the Casey region.
Planning Scheme Amendment C284case applies to all land within the City of Casey.
The amendment updates the content and structure of the Casey Planning Scheme to meet State Government legislative requirements and provides users with a much more contemporary scheme which better reflects current land use planning issues across the municipality.
The amendments include new clauses on non-agricultural uses in Green Wedge areas, protection of biodiversity, non-residential uses in residential areas and landfill buffers.
The amendment is informed by planning scheme reviews undertaken by Casey Council in 2018 and 2022, as well as adopted council strategies.
It involved re-writing existing policies in the scheme to reflect council’s current strategic direction for land use and development.
Furthermore, the amendment updates the background documents which have guided the preparation of the amendment and addresses minor anomalies in the scheme to ensure that it can be readily understood and implemented.
In terms of protecting Green Wedge areas, the new clauses include avoiding creating clusters of non-agricultural uses, unless they are located adjacent to, or on the periphery of, an urban or township area and ensuring the layout, design and operation of non-agricultural use and developments in a manner causes minimal loss of amenity, privacy and convenience to people living in nearby dwellings, having regard to traffic, car parking, access, built form and overall site layout.
In terms of planning for non-residential uses in residential areas, the amendments include encouraging non-residential development to be landscaped consistently with the surrounding area, including providing screening between car parking and adjoining properties.
The new landfill buffer clauses include discouraging the establishment of sensitive uses within 500 metres of the Hallam Road landfill in Hampton Park and within 1km of the Taylors Road landfill in Dandenong South.
The amendments also include avoiding the demolition of a heritage place, whole or in part, on the basis of poor structural or aesthetic condition or low heritage integrity whether this is the result of deterioration, neglect or for any other reason; and gaming venues and machines should be located only in suburbs where the electronic gaming machine density is below the state average.
There is no land within the City of Casey which will be rezoned or which is subject to different overlays as a result of the amendment.
With the amendment on public exhibition until midnight on Friday 1 December, drop-in sessions will also be held on Wednesday 25 October from 4pm to 7pm at Balla Balla Community Hub (the Lounge), 7-9 Selandra Boulevard, Clyde North; and Thursday 9 November 4pm to 7pm at Bunjil Place Library (Level 2 meeting room 6), Patrick Northeast Drive, Narre Warren.
Alternatively, a hard copy of Planning Scheme Amendment C284case is also available for viewing at Council’s Customer Service Centre at Bunjil Place, Patrick Northeast Drive, Narre Warren or Warren or Cranbourne Customer Service Centre, Shop 156, South Gippsland Highway, Cranbourne.
For more information, visit conversations.casey.vic.gov.au/c284case
