Surf Coast Distinctive Area and Landscape Draft Surf Coast Statement of Planning Policy: Settlement Background Paper November 2020 Photo credit Russel Charters Acknowledgment We acknowledge and respect the Traditional Owners of the Wadawurrung land and waters, their unique ability to care for Country and deep spiritual connection to it. We honour Elders past and present whose knowledge and wisdom has ensured the continuation of culture and traditional practices. We are committed to genuinely partner and meaningfully engage with Traditional Owners to support the protection of their Country, the maintenance of spiritual and cultural practices and their broader aspirations in the 21st century and beyond. © The State of Victoria Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning 2020 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. You are free to re-use the work under that licence, on the condition that you credit the State of Victoria as author. 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Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning PROPOSED SETTLEMENT BOUNDARIES 36 Contents Torquay–Jan Juc 36 Spring Creek Future Residential Area 38 Messmate Road Future Residential Area 47 Torquay North East Future Residential EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 4 Investigation Area 51 Bellbrae and Breamlea 54 Part B proposals and Bellbrae 54 proposed implementation actions 6 Breamlea 56 Part C proposals and Residential areas outside proposed implementation actions 8 existing settlement boundaries 58 Mount Duneed and Connewarre 58 INTRODUCTION 10 Addiscott Road Estate 60 Armstrong Creek Urban Growth Area 63 Declaration of Surf Coast 10 Have your say 12 MANAGING URBAN-RURAL INTERFACES, Purpose and structure of this paper 13 TRANSITION AREAS AND RIDGELINES 64 POLICY CONTEXT 14 Managing urban-rural interfaces 64 Transition areas 65 Legislative objectives 14 Hilltops and ridgelines 65 State and regional policy context 15 Planning scheme policies 15 MANAGING BUILT FORM WITHIN State and regional policies 15 TORQUAY–JAN JUC 66 Surf Coast local policies 16 Coastal character 67 Other Surf Coast local plans and strategies 18 Activity centres 69 Greater Geelong local policies 20 Torquay Town Centre 70 Other Greater Geelong local plans Bell Street Neighbourhood Activity Centre 72 and strategies 21 Surf City and Surf Coast Gateway precincts 72 Planning practice notes 21 Jan Juc Activity Centre 73 Torquay North Neighbourhood Activity Centre PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT OUTCOMES 22 and Torquay Community and Civic Precinct 73 Existing residential areas 74 Current Torquay–Jan Juc urban POPULATION GROWTH, VISITOR consolidation area 75 GROWTH AND LAND SUPPLY 23 Substantial change areas 77 Population growth and housing demand 23 Incremental change areas 80 Land supply 24 Minimal change areas 85 Residential land supply 24 Industrial land supply 26 REFERENCES 88 Visitor growth 26 ABBREVIATIONS 90 SETTLEMENT BOUNDARIES AND GREEN BREAKS 29 GLOSSARY 90 What is a settlement boundary? 29 What is a green break? 30 How will the settlement boundaries operate? 30 APPENDIX 1: TORQUAY–JAN How are settlement boundaries and JUC HOUSING SUPPLY ESTIMATES 93 protected settlement boundaries amended? 30 APPENDIX 2: SPRING CREEK FUTURE METHODOLOGY 31 RESIDENTIAL AREA STRATEGIC Assessment criteria 31 PLANNING HISTORY TIMELINE 98 Planning principles 31 Land development constraints and opportunities 32 APPENDIX 3: Feasible boundary location 32 MANAGING BUSHFIRE RISK 101 Assessment criteria for greenfield areas 32 Surf Coast Settlement Background Paper 3 Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning Part A: Context for settlement planning Executive Summary in the Surf Coast declared area In September 2019, an area comprising part of the Surf Coast Shire and the City of Greater Geelong To determine how settlements should be were declared a distinctive area and landscape planned, it is important to understand the under Part 3AAB of the Planning and Environment legislative and planning policy context. Act 1987 (the Act). The proposed approach to settlement planning in The Surf Coast declared area is a place of state and the declared area is governed by Part 3AAB – national importance, being a major tourist Distinctive Areas and Landscapes of the Act. This destination located along the Great Ocean Road legislation is the primary consideration when with significant environmental, geographical and determining the appropriate approach to cultural heritage features and productive areas. Due implementing settlement boundaries and to the desirability of the declared area as a preferred approaches to managing built form and infill place to live, work, visit and play, these attributes are outcomes. The legislation focusses on the protection under threat from a range of pressures associated and conservation of the distinctive attributes of the with overuse and development. declared area. Declaring an area triggers the requirement to Plan Melbourne 2017-2050 and G21 Regional Growth prepare a Statement of Planning Policy (SPP), which Plan provide strategic direction for settlement must include a framework plan, a 50-year vision and planning in the Surf Coast declared area. These strategies and objectives to achieve the vision. strategies broadly support the provision of further Importantly, a SPP can include protected settlement housing and employment-related developments in boundaries to help provide assurance to the Torquay–Jan Juc, subject to detailed planning being community about the direction of future growth in completed to ensure the area’s unique values are their settlements. protected. To protect the Surf Coast declared area’s attributes, Sustainable Futures Plan Torquay – Jan Juc 2040 is the Minister for Planning has committed to setting Surf Coast Shire’s strategy for managing urban settlement boundaries and height controls through growth. It has set the direction for future growth in the Surf Coast distinctive area and landscape Torquay–Jan Juc, and it supports infill development project. around activity centres and greenfield development in specific areas. The strategy provides the starting This paper provides the methodology used to assess point for considering settlement boundaries in light settlement boundaries, proposals about locations of the Surf Coast’s designation as a distinctive area for settlement boundaries in the declared area and and landscape. proposals about built form outcomes and locations for infill development in Torquay – Jan Juc. Public feedback is also essential when planning for settlements, and this work has been informed by two This provides the evidence basis for the settlement phases of public engagement. When the public was policy domain of the Draft Surf Coast Statement of asked about the future of settlements in the Planning Policy (draft Surf Coast SPP), and it will help declared area, they expressed a range of views: inform the written submissions that are being invited some wanted to limit the growth of settlements, and from the community, responsible public entities, others saw a need to allow for sustainable growth. industry representatives and other interested parties about the contents of the draft Surf Coast SPP. Some of the key findings from the two phases of public engagement were: • overdevelopment is seen as the main threat to the declared area’s settlements • concerns over overdevelopment included the loss of neighbourhood character of existing settlements, buildings not respecting the landscape or environmental values of the area, the loss of older-style homes to new development, poor-quality designs and impacts to services and infrastructure 4 Surf Coast Settlement Background Paper Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning • it is important to maintain the relationships of settlements with their surrounding natural environments, both coastal and bushland • settlement boundaries are an important factor when considering protection of the declared area, particularly around Torquay–Jan Juc, but views were divided over the development of Spring Creek Future Residential Area • settlement boundaries and limitations on development were also raised as important tools in relation to other policy domains within the draft Surf Coast SPP, notably the Environmental risks and resilience, Landscape and Environment and biodiversity domains. Settlement planning in the declared area has also been informed by housing supply and demand projections. There is a high rate of sustained demand for new housing in the declared area, with Torquay–Jan Juc experiencing