Plans for a 2000+ lot development could change the face of Clarkefield, and its fate now rests with the Minister for Planning.
The 220 hectare development is described as “a landmark proposal that will redefine new town creation in Australia”.
Last week, Macedon Ranges Shire Council called for the plans to be made public and for the community to “scrutinise them”.
“The intent is clear: we want to start some conversations,” Cr Daniel Young said, steering the motion at council’s ordinary meeting last week.
“It comes from a series of events that have been culminating in what is a dangerous precedent for our area.”
As seen with the Amess Road development at Riddells Creek, ADP Projects has referred its proposal to the Victorian Government’s Development Facilitation Program.
The program removes council’s decision-making power and also limits its ability to shape the development.
Strong council and community opposition did little to alter the controversial plans to double the size of Riddells Creek that were approved last year. It is now frequently cited as a cautionary tale of potential things to come.
Mayor Kate Kendall said the Clarkefield proposal was significant for this shire and the community deserved to understand what was being proposed.
“Residents should feel that decisions about the future of their area are happening with their knowledge,” she said.
PROPOSAL GROWS
The development has significantly changed since ADP Projects proposed 350-450 lots on 26 hectares five years ago.
Marketing material states the development includes a new town centre, community garden and produce farm, a community owned solar farm, e-mobility scheme and a regenerative carbon offset program.
Cr Young said the proposal was “tizzed up with notions of being environmentally friendly” and had “a lot of buzz words to make it more amenable”.
“The reality is that it’s 2000+ houses plonked into a spot that has a zero services that will be in many ways a burden on the council to maintain past that point,” he said.
“I am concerned that these kind of developments crop up through the need of state government, and not through the need of what the rural areas like us actually want and expect… Some legislative changes are taking councils out of it.”
‘DECISIONS MADE FASTER’
The Victorian Government introduced the DFP in 2020 to accelerate assessment and approval of priority projects aimed at boosting the economy. It is not the only move that has restricted council and community input to planning.
Last year, Minister Kilkenny introduced the Planning Amendment (Better Decisions Made Faster) Bill 2025 to Parliament.
Under the changes, new homes, duplexes, townhouses and low-rise apartments will require no notice and no third party appeals. For higher density apartments, only those who are directly impacted – like neighbours in the area – will get notice and be able to appeal.
The Victorian Parliament passed the Act last month and it will come into full effect by October 2027.
SHIRE-WIDE IMPACT
Councillors stressed the importance of considering the broader impact large planning proposals have on the shire as a whole.
Cr Jennifer Anderson said the Clarkefield development would see Clarkefield rapidly change from a hamlet to a town.
“I think people need to know what the plan is and they need to interrogate it,” she said.
“Ultimately, you have to look at where are we strategically. What is the role of each of our towns and how might this decision influence any other decision in the rest of the shire?”
Cr Alison Joseph said it was time for everyone in the Macedon Ranges to “start taking note of what’s going on”.
“What happens in Riddells Creek and in Clarkefield will affect everybody. We can’t do it alone, and the community has to start acting.”
The Express intends to publish information about the Clarkefield Development Area DFP process as it becomes available.
