Archive: Clarkefield
Last Updated 14/5/26
Wrong Thing, Wrong Place. Protection For Macedon Ranges Goes Out The Window As Minister For Planning's Amendment C164 Is About To Turn Clarkefield's Rural Landscape Into An Inner Melbourne Suburb. Say "no" to suburbia - have your say by 1 June on the Engage Victoria website https://engage.vic.gov.au/draft-planning-scheme-amendment-to-the-macedon-ranges-planning-scheme-c164macr
(13/5/26) Developers to get what they want - a Hamlet with less than 200 people to become a District Town with 2,500 homes and 6,000 people, with 90% of 767 lots in Stage 1 less than 400 m2 (smallest 84m2). Macedon Ranges is a Rural Shire and a Distinctive Area and Landscape, not a metropolitan growth area. First, the Minister took over and approved 1,360 lots in Riddells Creek. Now this. And it's coming to a town near you. Protection? What protection?
MRRA Says:
Key Points: Amendment C164 Clarkefield (this information can be used to inform a submission or survey response)
The Proposal
The Victorian Minister for Planning (Sonya Kilkenny) is about to make a decision on a developer-driven proposal to turn Clarkefield from a Hamlet (generally 100-200 residents) into a District Town (generally up to 6,000 residents). In total 2,500 new homes across 256ha are planned in 2 stages. Amendment C164 is Stage 1 which includes 767 subdivided lots and 13 unsubdivided 'superlots' over 62.1ha. The developer appears to have done all of the 'strategic work' and technical reports to support the proposal.
The Minister
Having accepted the developer's proposal, the Minister is the sole decision-maker (Macedon Ranges Shire Council is excluded, as is Planning Panels Victoria). This Minister also recently took sole control for the developer-driven Amendment C161 at Riddells Creek (1,360 lots), and for bulldozing significant Snow Gums at the Mt. Macedon Memorial Cross.
This pattern of Minister-only approvals is becoming entrenched and is highly concerning, as is the single, sham community consultation offered by the Minister on large development proposals already awaiting the Minister's sign-off. Residents in Gisborne and Romsey should recognise the possibility of the Minister taking over implementation of those towns' Structure Plans while Kyneton may find itself in a similar situation to Riddells Creek and Clarkefield.
Stage 1 Development
Both Stage 1 and Stage 2 of this development are to be zoned Comprehensive Development Zone (no objection rights, used a lot in metro growth areas). Additionally a large area of Farming Zone to the north of Stage 2 (bounded by Websters, Sutherlands and Lancefield Roads) is to have its minimum subdivision size cut from 40ha to 25ha.
Stage 1 (C164) "feels like Footscray" or any other inner Melbourne suburb. It proposes two types of subdivision: 767 already-subdivided lots as shown on the plan, and 13 superlots which are intended for further residential subdivision, as well as for 'mixed use' (i.e. residential, commercial, industrial) within the Town Centre.
Smallest lots are 84m2 (6) and 95m2. Over 50% of subdivided lots are under 200m2, 73% are under 300m2 and 90.3% are under 400m2 (this is called 'diversity'). Only 5 lots are over 600m2 - 0.63%. Development is planned to be up to 4 storeys in the Town Centre where street frontage setbacks vary between zero, zero-1.5m and 1.5m-3m. Second small houses (i.e. two houses on a lot) and further medium density are also allowed.
Rural Landscapes & Rural Town Character
Lancefield Road currently provides sweeping views across Clarkefield's rural landscape to the Macedon Range. This development of up to 4 storeys will adversely intrude into these views from one of the Shire's major gateways. The whole Shire is a Distinctive Area and Landscape (DLA) of State significance, into which Melbourne's suburban standards and excess population are being pushed.
The Macedon Ranges Statement of Planning Policy says:
"In decision-making the highest priority is given to the significant landscapes that define the declared area as represented in the Landscape domain, the Biodiversity and environment domain and the Water catchments and water supply domain." p21
"The landscape comprises the natural and built environments that make up the declared area; it is the holistic integration of both of these environments across the region that this Statement of Planning Policy seeks to protect and enhance." p21
"Objective 1 To ensure the declared area's natural and cultural landscapes are conserved and enhanced." p22
Objective 7 Strategy " Protect the unique rural character of towns in the declared area." p31
That's not what Amendment C164 does. In addition, despite elevating Clarkefield to a District Town, Amendment C164 fails to provide a Protected Settlement Boundary that other District Towns in the Shire have, and some policies and zone schedules are also weak where meeting standards is only "encouraged".
Conclusion
The Minister is supporting an obviously inappropriate development in a Distinctive Area and Landscape, where what's proposed isn't supposed to happen. There has been no public consultation for strategic work or turning a hamlet into a major town (other than that undertaken by the developer in June 2021).
MRRA recently commented to the Midland Express:
"84m2 lots? 50% of lots under 200m2? What an ignorant proposal! Does the Minister even know where Macedon Ranges is? It's not in the metro area or a growth area, It's a rural Shire. Does she know HER government said we were protected from this type of destructive development? This is a Distinctive Area and Landscape. Instead of breaching the Act and Statement of Planning Policy, read them and stop this greedy disgrace immediately".
If you care about keeping Macedon Ranges rural, say "no" to suburbia by registering your views on the Engage Victoria website by June 1.