The Alpine Shire Neighbourhood Character Strategy 2025 was adopted by Councillors at the February Ordinary Council Meeting, with Council officers now preparing the process to implement its outcomes into the Alpine Planning Scheme.
Development on the Strategy began in 2024 in response to the lack of local planning policy in the Alpine Planning Scheme to identify the preferred character of Alpine Shire's townships.
Currently, when reviewing planning applications, statutory planners do not have clear guidelines to determine whether development proposals align with a preferred character for each of the towns across Alpine Shire.
After two rounds of community engagement, Council is proud to have developed a Strategy that reflects what residents and ratepayers love about their towns now and what they would like to see in the future.
The Strategy outlines nine different typologies that showcase different parts of the four main Service Towns of Alpine Shire: Bright, Mount Beauty-Tawonga South, Myrtleford, and Porepunkah.
These typologies are categories that contain recommendations for future development of both private and public land.
Alpine Shire Mayor, Cr Sarah Nicholas, said that this Strategy is equally important for community members, strategic and statutory planners, and building professionals.
"The Alpine Shire Neighbourhood Character Strategy provides guidelines to residents and business owners looking to build in the area or renovate existing dwellings," she said.
"It helps to guide a range of big and small things that contribute to the identity of our towns, such as site layout and orientation, as well as the distance between buildings and how far they are set back from the road.
"For people who own buildings in our towns, the Strategy can help inform details such as the sorts of materials that you use on the exterior of buildings to align with the preferred character of our townships.
"The Strategy also provides guidance on things that are in public spaces, like how many trees we want in our towns and ensuring that car parking blends in with our landscapes, rather than dominate them."
Council officers will now undertake the process to have the Alpine Shire Neighbourhood Character Strategy implemented into the Alpine Planning Scheme.
This is expected to occur in a number of stages over the coming years.
The Neighbourhood Character Strategy is available to view online on Council's website: https://www.alpineshire.vic.gov.au/building-business/strategic-planning/strategic-planning-projects/alpine-shire-neighbourhood