Revised Draft Clunes Master Plan published for community viewing

A revised version of the Draft Clunes Master Plan has now been published on the Your Say page.

The revised version includes significant changes, all in direct response to the feedback gathered during all community consultation phases, particularly phase 3 which concluded in September 2025.

All 5 key moves of the Draft Master Plan have been revised. Highlights include:

1. Support Sustainable Housing Diversity: This key move strengthens the necessity for new growth to accord with the village character and more clearly confirms Council's commitments to preparing a village-specific Development Control Plan to guide design.
2. Protect and Enhance Natural Assets: This is a new key move to prioritise and celebrate the rich biodiversity and environmental value of Clunes and ensure these areas can be positioned as a community asset within the identified growth area.
3. Improve Village Safety: This key move now contains all the same road safety and parking interventions. These were largely supported by the community and have been carried over from the consultation Draft.
4. Upgrade Public Amenities for the Future: This key move focuses on public open space and footpaths, two areas that were highly important to the Clunes community. The key move confirms that one high quality social/ family recreation space will be delivered at the Clunes Old School, public toilets, shade and seating will be provided at the Village Park and the current playground at Smith Street will be investigated for divestment. A future Sports Field, with potential for co-located open space, has been identified within the growth area whereby areas of high value biodiversity can also be protected and enhanced. Additionally, within this key move a footpath prioritisation plan has been identified.
5. Establish Long-Term Western Connectivity: This key move has been amended to identify and acknowledge areas of any future western connection road that will need careful design and delivery based on site-specific considerations, such as topography, riparian areas or significant biodiversity. Additionally, a prioritised pedestrian trail has been identified that significantly improves connectivity and cohesion across the existing village and growth area.

As evident from the changes to the key moves, the revised Draft Master Plan no longer commits to a public sewer system for both the existing and proposed village areas. Instead, growth will be supported to come forward via large lot residential with on-site septic systems and/or 'eco-village' style housing whereby a communal on-site septic systems can be provided.