MANSFIELD PLANNING SCHEME 21.03 SETTLEMENT 25/11/2010 C21 21.03-1 Overview 08/11/2007 C13 The diversity on offer within the Mansfield Shire is attractive to many people for many different reasons. Whether it is the snow in the winter, the lakes in the summer or the various rural pursuits on offer all year round, there is something for everyone in the region. The settlement pattern in the municipality is a reflection of people’s preferences for the various lifestyle pursuits. The Shire offers variety in housing choice and employment opportunities, as well as excellent services and amenities. As the profile of the Shire continues to evolve it is important that residential, industrial, commercial and retail development within the Mansfield precinct is facilitated in accordance with the Shire’s Urban Design Framework. Whilst quality of life is a significant factor in attracting people to the area, the Shire must offer many choices in housing and cater for the needs of the population in terms of community services, retail and business services, recreation and cultural activities. The Shire also needs to offer a wide range of employment opportunities. The key areas to focus on in the long term strategy are primary production, tourism, knowledge based industries such as research, training, administration and education, and finally health, recreation and service industries. The future growth of the various settlement areas will be dependant on many factors with a main issue being the availability of water and the ability to store water for sustainable living. Some catchments in Mansfield Shire are already ‘fully committed’, therefore requiring careful management of new dams. The relevant water authorities have, however, indicated that the projected future residential growth within the various regions of the Shire can be facilitated by the current water entitlements and catchment yields in the short to medium term, although upgrades to supply and storage may be required to support any future increases in residential development within townships and new residential development in outlying areas. 21.03-2 Rural atmosphere 08/03/2007 C7 People are attracted to the area for a host of reasons and the Shire has identified those reasons broadly as ‘rural atmosphere’ and ‘lifestyle’. It is essential that all development ensure that these attractions are maintained. Any development, which is deemed to have a negative impact on these assets, is not considered to be quality development within the Shire. As the Melbourne metropolitan area continues to expand the Shire’s residents, landowners and visitors alike will increasingly value the quality of the Shire’s cultural facilities, rural atmosphere, and natural features. These must be protected. Demand for ‘rural atmosphere’ lifestyles has been historically significant and remains strong. This type of development needs to be confined to areas at the fringe of urban centres and existing settlement areas where there is good access to services and where the impacts on the productivity of land and on areas with significant environmental values can be prevented. The Shire’s strategy is to create a rural atmosphere in all locations within the municipality. It is expected that with everything Mansfield Shire has to offer in terms of rural activity, farming, native flora and fauna, high value waterways, and arguably the freshest air in the country, a quality ‘rural atmosphere’ can be maintained. Irrespective of how popular the region becomes, the strategic vision recognises why it MUNICIPAL STRATEGIC STATEMENT - CLAUSE 21.03 PAGE 1 OF 16 MANSFIELD PLANNING SCHEME became popular in the first place and sets out to protect that for generations to follow. The Shire is committed to controlling the quality of that growth to ensure it occurs in sympathy with all that is good about the Mansfield Shire. The strategy will not facilitate development purely to meet demand if this results in a loss of rural atmosphere. 21.03-3 Infrastructure 08/03/2007 C7 The Shire’s expectation is that all development is quality development in accordance with a detailed range of development guidelines, including Development Design Overlays and Development Plan Overlays where relevant, as well as local policies. This strategy places a heavy emphasis on infrastructure and services and it also introduces the concept of developer contributions to ensure the community benefits as the Shire grows. All subdivision designs need to consider the importance of infrastructure, environment and creativity in preference to maximum lot yields. Stormwater, onsite water catchment facilities, water sensitive urban design, drainage, reticulated water and sewerage systems, public open space, variety of lot sizes, provision of quality internal and access roads and detailed landscaping plans are considered priorities for all future developments within the Shire. Implementation In order to facilitate development with high quality design and infrastructure Council will design and adopt a Development Contribution Plan. Council will integrate development through the participation with relevant authorities in defining areas that can be readily supplied with infrastructure. As part of this process Council shall prepare Outline Development Plans to guide and encourage development in defined areas. 21.03-4 Heritage 08/03/2007 C7 Overview The character of Mansfield is linked to its heritage, which is expressed most clearly through its extant original buildings. These include prominent buildings within the central retail area of High Street, (especially the Hotel Delatite, the Commercial Hotel, the Mansfield Hotel, the former bank building at 93 High Street, the National Bank, the Court House and some of the existing shops), as well as less obvious residential buildings. The history of settlement and development of areas within the Mansfield Shire ensures that the area is rich in natural, cultural and built heritage. The heritage has not been formally studied in any detail. There are gaps in the knowledge of the Shire’s heritage assets, particularly in Mansfield, rural areas and the smaller settlements such as Woods Point, Jamieson and Matlock. Aboriginal heritage also needs to be addressed in this context. The Goulburn, Howqua and Big Rivers have been declared Heritage Rivers under the Heritage Rivers Act 1992, which has implications for land use in the vicinity of watercourses. While this indicates that there are a number of extant buildings with heritage values, the Victorian Heritage Register includes only three listings within Mansfield: The Police Memorial at the intersection of High Street and Highett Street. The Police Stables. The Courthouse. MUNICIPAL STRATEGIC STATEMENT - CLAUSE 21.03 PAGE 2 OF 16 MANSFIELD PLANNING SCHEME These buildings, as well as the Railway Precinct, are reflected in the Mansfield Planning Scheme through a heritage overlay. Issues There is a lack of documentation and research into the significance of the extant built heritage of Mansfield. The location of the extant buildings within the town centre, with its prominent streetscape and lineal open space, provides the opportunity for an integrated presentation of these elements in order to strengthen the town centre overall. The location of some of the key heritage buildings of the town around the central High Street/Highett Street intersection, which also contains the Police Memorial, suggests the opportunity to consider the street system as an integral component of the built heritage. There is a lack of obvious information (such as interpretation signage) to explain the history of Mansfield, including the age and significance of some of the key buildings. Lack of identification of the Shire’s heritage assets. The tourism and economic potential of the Shire’s heritage. The importance of the heritage values of the Big and Howqua rivers. Implementation Apply the Heritage Overlay planning provisions, upon completion of a Mansfield Heritage Study, to protect historic places and sites within the Shire’s townships and outlying areas 21.03-5 Mansfield Township 08/11/2007 C13 Mansfield requires an increase in water storage capacity to service the township in the future. Aside from requiring additional water storage capacity, Mansfield township has the capacity to accommodate future population growth in terms of existing infrastructure and service provision. Given the current and anticipated demographic profile of the community, it is important that residential development caters for a variety of lot sizes and provides the necessary infrastructure. It has been identified that a higher density lot yield, in quality residential developments within close proximity to the town facilities, is the preferred option for urban residential development within the Mansfield township. Further subdivision of existing large individual residential blocks of land in town will only be considered if all of the infrastructure and design requirements of the Shire can be addressed satisfactorily in the design for the further fragmentation of the land. Mansfield Township Urban Design Framework The Mansfield Urban Design Framework is an adopted strategic study covering all urban issues within the Mansfield Township. The study identifies a wide range of urban design, land use and infrastructure issues for the ongoing strategic development of the Shire’s major service centre. MUNICIPAL STRATEGIC STATEMENT - CLAUSE 21.03 PAGE 3 OF 16 MANSFIELD PLANNING SCHEME The study nominates core growth corridors within