. ' ~.,. - ·, I • rr==========================-·==--=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==========i'i ---- -- ·-~-_/ LA TROBE PLANNING SCHEME REPORT TO THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE I PANEL REVIEWING THE LA TROBE PLANNING SCHEME Presented to the Advisory Committee/Panel on Monday, 17 August 1998 by Mrs Heather Hadley-Powell, Planning Officer on behalf of the Department of Infrastructure, Planning, Building and Development, Gippsland Region, Victoria. - · • ' 4 • I I I I I I I I· I I I I I I I I I I I I Report to the Advisory Committee/Panel reviewing the La Trobe Planning Scheme by the Department of Infrastructure, Planning, Building, and Development, Gi sland Re ·on. ----- -- ---~----· -----1 1lii~i1~~11~m~1ii~i1i 1. Submission context M0052602 This submission is by the Department of Infrastructure, Planning, Building and Development, Gippsland Office. It has been prepared to assist the Advisory Committee who has been appointed to review the La Trobe Planning Scheme and the Panel appointed to review submissions made to the Scheme. The submission considers, or outlines: • The Shire's regional context (including geographic and economic context); • The planning issues within the La Trobe Shire, including the major concerns that the Department has with the planning scheme; and • The planning approaches at the municipal boundary with adjoining municipalities, highlighting any inconsistencies. Infrastructure Library (-. --- - '711.3099 00113162 456 LAT La trobe planning scheme : report to the Advisory Committee I Panel reviewing the La Trobe planning scheme 2 Report to the Advisory Committee/Panel reviewing the La Trobe Planning Scheme by the Department of Infrastructure, Planning, Building, and Development, Gi sland Re ·on. 2. La Trobe within the Gippsland Region 2. 1 Municipality history The La Trobe Shire Council consists of the former municipalities of the Cities of Moe, Morwell, and Traralgon, the former Shire ofTraralgon, and the Yallourn North district of the former Shire ofNarracan and the Glengarry and Toongabbie districts of the former Shire of Rosedale. The La Trobe Shire Council was created by Order of the Governor in Council on 2 December 1994. 2.2 Geographical characteristics The La Trobe Shire is located in the central area of the Gippsland Region. The Gippsland Region comprises six municipalities, being: Baw Baw, Bass Coast, East Gippsland, La Trobe, South Gippsland, and Wellington. The Shire's northern and north western boundary is the border with the Shire ofBaw Baw, the eastern and south eastern boundary is the border with the Shire of Wellington, and the south western and western boundary is the border with the Shire of South Gippsland. (Refer to Attachment 1) The La Trobe municipality has an area of 1,405.3 square kilometres, and is located approximately 160 kilometres east of Melbourne. At the 1996 census La Trobe had a total enumerated population of 67,564, less 120 overseas visitors, giving an enumerated population of 67 ,444. The main urban centres in the municipality are Traralgon, Morwell, Moe, and Churchill, with the largest township in terms of population being Traralgon. Traralgon, Morwell, and Moe all straddle the Princes Highway and the Gippsland railway line. The urban centres include major service facilities, including large retail centres. There are also many smaller townships located throughout the municipality, including Boolarra, Glengarry, Toongabbie, Tyers, Yallourn North, and Yinnar. The topography of the area is a contrast between the Great Diving Range and the Strzelecki Ranges, and the open river valleys extending to the coastal areas and the Gippsland Lakes. Significant features in the municipality are the electricity power stations of Hazelwood, Loy Yang A and B, and Yallourn. These power stations provide a large proportion of the state's energy, as a result of the large brown coal deposits that occur in the region. The valley is also a rich agricultural area. Forestry is an important industry, particularly pulp and paper making, with hardwoods coming from the eastern highlands and softwoods from plantations in the Latrobe-Valley and the Strzeleckis. The timber is transported to the Maryvale pulp and paper mill. The Shire also has a campus of Monash University at Churchill. 3 Report to the Advisory Committee/Panel reviewing the La Trobe Planning Scheme by the Department of Infrastructure, Planning, Building, and Development, Gi sland Re 'on. 2.3 Natural features The area is bounded to the south by the Strzelecki Ranges and to the north by the Great Dividing Ranges. The Strzelecki Ranges rise gradually from the Latrobe Valley flats. The Great Dividing Ranges rises to over 1500 metres, for example Mt. Baw Baw has an elevation of 1566 metres. Tributaries fl<;>w from both ranges to form the Latrobe, Thomson, Macalister, and Avon Rivers, all of which eventually discharge into lake Wellington. Lake Wellington forms a valuable wetland region at the outlet of both river basins. Within the municipality are two areas of public land - Tyers Park and the Morwell National Park. 2.4 Water resources Rainfall in the region shows a marked gradient from the mountains in the north to the plains in the south east. Average annual rainfall varies from 1,800 mm per year at Mt. Baw Baw down to 600 mm per year around Lake Wellington. Much of the Gippsland plains are topographically similar which gives little variation in climatic conditions. The West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority was appointed on 1 July 1997. The West Gippsland Regional Catchment Strategy was approved by the State Government in 1997, and it will be a blueprint for achieving effective integration and delivery of the land and water management programs in the West Gippsland Region. The West Gippsland Region is divided into three state-recognised river basins - the Latrobe, Thomson, and South Gippsland. The La Trobe Shire is located on the Latrobe River Basin, and a very small section in the north of the Shire around Toongabbie is located within the Thomson River Basin. The Latrobe Basin covers 46,200 hectares and has a mean annual flow of 980,000 megalitres. The north western part of the basin consists of forested and steeply dissected ranges of the Eastern Highlands with the Baw Baw Plateau to the north east. The central part is the broad and relatively flat Latrobe Valley and the Gippsland Plains while the southern part consists of the northern fall of the Strzelecki Ranges. Both these areas are largely cleared although some small remnants of the once extensive tall eucalypt forests remain in the Strzeleckis. The Latrobe River is the major river in the Basin. It is fed from the north by the Toorongo, Tanjil and Tyers Rivers, from the west by the Moe River and from the Strzeleckis by the Morwell River and Traralgon Creek. Major water storages are the Moondarra Reservoir (34,000 megalitres) on the Tyers River, Lake Narracan (7,995 megalitres) on the Latrobe River and the Blue Rock Dam (200,000 megalitres) on the Tanjil River. The Hazelwood Pondage (31,000 megalitres) near Morwell supplies cooling water for power generation and is fed from the Moondarra Reservoir and from local creeks and aquifers. 4 Report to the Advisory Committee/Panel reviewing the La Trobe Planning Scheme by the Department of Infrastructure, Planning, Building, and Development, Gi sland Re 'on. The Basin has 74% of its stream length in the good to excellent category, this is confined largely to the minor streams in forested areas. The major and tributary streams have a high proportion of their length in poor or very poor condition. In particular, for most of its length the Latrobe River is rated poor or moderate with mainly willows or grazed banks, some bank instability and some sedimentation problems, whilst a number of tributaries of the Latrobe River, such as Eaglehawk Creek and Fells Creek have severe erosion problems. The Latrobe River is a major contributor of phosphorous to the Gippsland Lakes. The Latrobe River also contributes most of the dissolved solids (salinity) that enter the lake system. These dissolved solids originate mainly from the industrial discharges to the river. Variability of streamflow within the year is quite marked, with peak flows usually occurring in August to Octo her. Regulation of streamflow in the lower reaches of the Latrobe has reduced much of the within year variation. Utilisation of water in the region is substantial. Large volumes of water are used for urban and industrial purposes, and a small amount for irrigation. The Latrobe Basin also imports water from the Thomson Basin via the irrigation system. The power stations are the largest industrial user of water in the region extracting water from both surface and groundwater sources. Water for the power stations has been allocated from the Latrobe River (supplemented by water from Blue Rock Lake) and Moondarra Reservoir. Australian Paper is the second largest industrial consumer in the region and it also draws water from Moondarra Reservoir. There are many areas in the Region without town water supplies. Also many areas are unsewered. Another important component of the region's water infrastructure is the Latrobe Valley Water and Sewerage Board's Latrobe Valley Outfall Sewer, which conveys wastewater to the Dutson Downs treatment farm. The ocean outfall pipeline disposes of the Latrobe Valley's domestic and industrial wastes. The Latrobe Valley Water and Sewerage Board also operate a Saline Water Outfall Pipeline for the electricity power industry. The Gippsland Lakes system is the largest estuarine lagoon system in Australia. The Lakes represent a major conservation and tourism asset for the Region and the State as a whole. Comprising Lake Wellington, Lake King, Lake Victoria, Lake Reeve, and extensive wetland areas, the Lake system is a major recreation area for local communities, and supports a large tourist industry and a commercial fishery. It also has considerable value for the conservation of lake and wetland-dependent plant and animal communities.