Citizens’ Jury identifies eight new areas for Colac’s growth

Published on 16 March 2018

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Citizens’ Jury identifies eight new areas for Colac’s growth

The Colac 2050 Growth Plan Citizens’ Jury have identified ten areas for Colac that could allow for a population growth of at least an additional 12,000 people during the next 30 years and beyond.

The jury also identified two additional potential areas in Colac’s west that they recommend be further investigated for growth into the longer term.

Recommendations from the jury along with prior community engagement and technical input will form part of a process for Council to consider in the preparation of a draft Growth Plan.

Driven by principles including connectivity and social, economic, financial and environmental sustainability, the jury answered three key questions: how and where should Colac grow; what facilities and infrastructure would be needed for Colac looking forward to the year 2050; and how should Council fund the growth of Colac?

The jury placed a strong emphasis on the importance of green spaces, providing a range of lifestyle opportunities including walking and cycle tracks, and having a high quality range of community services and facilities.

Colac’s Allan Robb was one of the people from the Colac Otway Shire who participated in the Citizen’s Jury process.

Mr Robb said jurors were well informed and supported throughout the process.

“There was great respect shown to the jury members by the facilitators and the staff of the Colac Otway Shire,” Mr Robb said.

“If we wanted more information we felt confident to ask and we were given that information; we were well supported by independent experts in everything from drainage to urban planning.

“The process enabled us to make informed decisions in a democratic way. It was a good process.”

Juror Lauren Parsons also participated in the Citizen’s Jury with Allan and said she felt that the jury had devised a plan that not only set Colac up for growth, but would make it a more attractive place to live.

“Like many members of the jury I really wanted to look to the future of Colac and find ways to bring families here and provide a reason for our young people to stay.

“My siblings and I left to get our degrees, but we were lucky to be in a position to come back to work and live, and I’d love my children to have the same opportunities.

“We also wanted to create an environment where people can live in Colac and travel to Geelong by having easy access to the duplicated highway. While we’d obviously prefer them to work in Colac it’s important to provide those options.”

Mrs Parsons said the democratic process of voting on proposals was very effective.

“The great thing about the way the facilitators ran the voting was that they asked us to stand up in support of proposals, and it gave an interesting overall picture of how the majority sees the future for Colac.

“There will always be people who don’t like things for certain reasons, but the way it was decided was quite good.

“As much as people like to criticise Council, I think all the staff we dealt with were fantastic. They really wanted us to portray how we wanted Colac to be, not how they perceived it should be.”

Under the recommendations made by the jury:

  • Area 1: A 510 hectare area south of the Princes Highway taking in parts of Drapers, Triggs and Collins roads would be rezoned rural living with a minimum lot size of 6 hectares, yielding a population of approximately 200 people.
  • Area 2: A 263 hectare area of land immediately north-east of Belvedere Drive would be rezoned rural living, with a minimum lot size of 1.2 hectares, yielding a population of approximately 350 people.
  • Area 3: A 90.7 hectare area of land taking in parts of Tulloh Street, Woodrowvale Road, Aireys Street Forest Street, Pound Road and an area east of Gravesend Street would be rezoned general residential, yielding a population of approximately 350 people.
  • Area 4: A 33.5 hectare parcel of land immediately west of the current Scanlan Estate would be rezoned general residential, yielding a population of approximately 810 people.
  • Area 5:A 206 hectare area south-west of Trinity College and Sacred Heart Primary School, taking in parts of Irrewillipe Road would be rezoned general residential, yielding a population of approximately 4975 people.
  • Area 6: A 181 hectare area south of Harris Road, west of the golf course, would be protected for future general residential use retaining the current farming zone to protect long term growth potential.
  • Area 7: A 253 hectare area in Colac’s west beyond the existing settlement boundary, would be protected for long term general residential use subject to the completion of necessary drainage works by retaining the current farming zone to protect long term growth potential.
  • Area 8: A 132 hectare area in Colac’s west running between the railway line and the current commercial area fronting the highway (behind Colac Motor Group) would be rezoned general residential, yielding a population of approximately 2550 people.
  • Area 9: A 130 hectare area fronting the west side of the lake and stretching back across Rossmoyne Road towards the Corangamite Lake Road would be zoned general residential, yielding a population of approximately 2550 people.
  • Area 10: A 39.5 hectare parcel of land between the former Colac High School site and Rossmoyne Road stretching from the Princes Highway to Lake Colac, yielding a population of approximately 680 people.

Council’s Development and Community Services General Manager Gareth Smith congratulated the jury on its work with the report accepted in a formal vote by Councillors at the February Ordinary Council meeting.

“Jurors went through a very intense process which was rich with information, presentations, discussions and future planning,” Mr Smith said.

“The jury’s report will provide Council with clear direction for their consideration about how and where Colac should grow, and how we can go about funding some of the necessary infrastructure.”

Council officers will now draw upon these recommendations to finalise a draft Plan, which will be presented to Council over the coming months for consideration. It is expected that the Plan, when finalised, will be subject to comprehensive community engagement.