Christine Pruneau, secretary, Macedon Ranges Residents Association
In response to the letter from Mary-Anne Thomas MP, State member for Macedon (‘Scaremongering on planning’, Opinions, August 28), it is critical for residents to be clear that Macedon Ranges is NOT yet protected, but still in the process of being protected.
First: The Distinctive Areas and Landscapes Act legislation. Now completed. Triggers two more actions.
Second: The Minister for Planning’s declaration of Macedon Ranges as a ‘distinctive area and landscape’, which was officially gazetted on August 16, 2018. It says which values are important in Macedon Ranges, and what threatens them.
Third: Still to come – the Localised Planning Statement, now called a Statement of Planning Policy. This will include settlement boundaries around towns, and (in theory) will build on the declaration by saying how the identified values are to be protected from the identified threats. Its quality will be the determining factor in whether or not Macedon Ranges is protected. We don’t need another like the Localised Planning Statement earlier this year which was a non-starter in terms of ‘protection’, and expanded most town’s boundaries to allow substantial urban growth (boundaries weren’t even included for Gisborne and Romsey).
After all that, the planning scheme needs to be amended to give the Shire the planning controls that will implement these three high-level documents.
Ms Thomas’ letter confirms the state government’s expansion of intensive animal industries (now to be allowed in 85 per cent of this Shire), but omits to say those 100 to 10,000 poultry (and potentially thousands of pigs) are being introduced into both the Rural Conservation and Rural Living zones by removing current prohibitions, and removing neighbour’s rights to know about them, object and go to VCAT as well. It’s not pretty, or fair – and from the Association’s decades of experience seeking it – it’s not protection either.
