A recently gazetted amendment to the Casey Planning Scheme has introduced tighter controls to protect the Western Port Green Wedge from inappropriate development.
Planning Scheme Amendment C284case, which adds a new local policy, now applies to all land within the Western Port Green Wedge area, excluding Pearcedale township.
The amendment sets clear objectives to “protect the Western Port Green Wedge from use or development that would compromise its agricultural, environmental, cultural, visual and scenic significance and values”.
Under the new rules, non-rural developments such as primary and secondary schools and places of worship are discouraged across most of the area, with limited support for urban uses only in a small part near the Urban Growth Boundary, bounded by Cranbourne-Frankston Road, Pearcedale Road and Browns Road. According to the new rules, the exception is due to already fragmented smaller parcel sizes within the part.
Across all of Casey’s portion of Western Port Green Wedge, the new policy reinforces the need to connect developments to reticulated water, sewerage, power, and stormwater, where available, ensure that wastewater systems (both septic and sewer) are designed and maintained to protect the Western Port environment, including that of the Ramsar wetlands, and design development to respect the environmental, cultural, visual and scenic significance of the green wedge.
Western Port Green Wedge is one of 12 designated green wedges encircling metropolitan Melbourne, non-urban areas protected by planning policy since the 1970s to limit urban sprawl.
Casey Council adopted the amendment in September last year, and the State’s Planning Minister gazetted the amendment into the Casey Planning Scheme on 19 June this year.
