Are you planning to buy or develop in Dinner Plain?
Dinner Plain is unique.
Officially opened in 1986, Dinner Plain is Australia’s only freehold land above the snowline. This freehold allowed for the development of the entire village to be planned and designed to realise the vision of the original developers, Dinner Plain Pty Ltd and their architect, Peter McIntyre. Peter McIntyre's design of the Village features buildings architecturally inspired by the characteristics of the old cattlemen's huts.
Peter McIntyre went on to receive the Zelman Cowan Award for non-residential architecture in 1987, in recognition of distinctive architectural design and planning of the village.
Construction in the village is restricted to timber, stone, and corrugated iron, with a limited range of colours approved. At the time of its creation, the architectural style was embedded in covenants over much of the site, ensuring the future development of this village will continue to reflect this distinctive and unique alpine style which Dinner Plain is renowned for.
What does this mean for development in Dinner Plain?
Most land in Dinner Plain is the beneficiary of a covenant, lodged on the title at the time of subdivision in the 1980’s. A covenant is a rule of obligation placed on a property title that a title owner must abide by.
Among other things, the covenants require written approval of the proposed siting and design of any development from Dinner Plain Pty Ltd or MHSC Pty Ltd (MHSC Pty Ltd has subrogated decision making on covenants to Dinner Plain Pty Ltd, to ensure consistency and efficiency of decisions).
Is there a Covenant?
Yes Contact Dinner Plain Pty Ltd at admin@dinnerplain.org at the earliest opportunity to discuss your design ideas for the site and whether these will be supported.
No Consider the design guidelines at Special Use Zone – Schedule 1 and how they can be incorporated into any design response for the site. You may wish to contact Council’s Planning Department for a pre application meeting at this time.
Do I have approval for proposed development?
Yes Apply for planning approval with letter of support by Dinner Plain Pty Ltd. Applications with Dinner Plain Pty Ltd consent can be expediated through the planning process.
No Any application without support will not be considered by Council.
What do the covenants say?
There are two general covenants applying to development in Dinner Plain. Among other items, the covenants generally require the approval in writing by Dinner Plain Pty Ltd for:
- A building to be constructed to lock up stage
- The siting of any buildings on the land
- Alterations, extensions or rebuilds of existing buildings.
What does the Alpine Planning Scheme say?
Dinner Plain is located in the Special Use Zone – Schedule 1
The Zone includes direction for the intended use of the land and a specific Development Code at Clause 8.0, that describes the intended design outcome for the land. The control is a written interpretation of the architectural and land use vision for Dinner Plain.
In particular, the Development Code is seeking to protect the following architectural characteristics of Dinner Plain:
- Provide a human scale to the entry spaces of buildings with single storey porticos, framed by low roofs
- Varying roof profiles
- Overall height and length of walls reduced with stone entry porticos supported by timber columns and projecting rooms creating a sense of depth and relief
- Irregular placement of windows in the walls, emphasising the creation of nooks and crannies (lofts) to add charm and variety
- The retention of the trees in most developments allows the housing stock to merge into the landscape
- Small-scale windows used in most houses and irregular windows and attention to detail enhances the character and visual intrigue of the dwelling
- Rooflines dropping down to almost ground level, with no gutters or downpipes to facilitate snow shedding
- The use of a mix of wall materials including timber, stone, and small elements of Colorbond® and glass
- Detail to gable roof ends, intimate entry porches, stone walling, irregular timber columns, intricate timber fretwork detail around the eave line
- Subdued colour schemes throughout each building in the walls, roof, and trim details so as to blend harmoniously with the snow gums
- Front elevations having an intimate scale, assisted by sweeping rooflines, chimney articulation, highlight windows, and small window openings
- Building external balconies around existing trees extends the interior of the house outside and integrates the architecture with the natural environment
- Recessed, single entry garage doors to ensure they are not dominant elements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will designing a building in accordance with the guidelines make it more expensive?
It is important to discuss your idea for a development with Council and Dinner Plain Pty Ltd at your earliest opportunity, to ensure that any proposal for the site is in accordance with the overall vision for the Village. There are components of the design guidelines that may introduce additional cost into a development, however understanding what these are prior to designing your building should ensure you are able to achieve an acceptable outcome.
Applications supported by Dinner Plain Pty Ltd can be expediated through the planning assessment process.
How do I design my alpine development to comply with the design guidelines in the Special Use Zone – Schedule 1 and meet more recent regulatory requirements, such as planning for bushfire and native vegetation removal?
Council intends to update the planning controls to reflect more recent information and requirements in relation to bushfire planning and native vegetation removal. Updating the planning controls is a process that takes 18 – 24 months to complete. In the interim, Council will adopt a sensible approach that balances the current regulations with the intended vision for Dinner Plain. This may include requirements for different building materials or siting of development to mitigate vegetation loss.
Why doesn’t Council just assess applications on behalf of Dinner Plain Pty Ltd?
Over the past 10 years, there has been an understanding that Council could consider the appropriateness of applications at Dinner Plain without approval from Dinner Plain Pty Ltd. Covenants are a separate legal mechanism that run with the title of a property and are implemented outside of the planning system. A planning permit cannot be granted where it may be contrary to any covenants registered on title.
There is no existing mechanism to avoid this requirement.
The Dinner Plain community, Dinner Plain Pty Ltd and the Council all recognise the unique nature of the village. The restrictive covenants in concert with the Alpine Planning Scheme has enabled the architectural integrity and cohesiveness of design to be an aftermarket attribute, which has no peer in planning/development anywhere else in Australia. The unique architecture is the cornerstone of success of the Dinner Plain village. The architectural and planning integrity will continue to be governed by the restrictive covenants and the Council planning process to produce alpine buildings which fit within the Dinner Plain architectural vernacular.
What if I don’t have a covenant?
The Special Use Zone is clear in its intent and Council’s planning department will assess the application against the design guidelines in the Development Code at Clause 8.0 of the Special Use Zone – Schedule 1
