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Exhibition of Moorabool Planning Scheme Amendment C119moor – Maddingley Framework Plan

Project Overview

online community engagement

Moorabool Shire Council has prepared amendment C119moor to the Moorabool Planning Scheme. Amendment C119moor proposes to introduce local planning policy and an associated framework plan identifying potential future land uses in the Maddingley Framework Plan area, consistent with the recommendations of the Maddingley Planning Study (Centrum, October 2025).

The proposed local policy changes will provide:

  • long-term guidance that supports the continuation of existing uses.

  • strategic support for the transition of the Maddingley Framework Plan area to industrial uses through future planning scheme amendments to rezone land.

The closing date for submissions is Monday 8 June 2026. 

Amendment C119moor is the first of three phases of planning scheme changes proposed by the Maddingley Planning Study (Centrum, October 2025), which was adopted by Council at its meeting on 17 December 2025.  

The Maddingley Framework Plan area (below) is strategically located immediately south of the existing Bacchus Marsh urban area. State significant coal mining and waste management land uses and industry occupy a large portion of the Maddingley Framework Plan area. The area also includes large areas of farmland, 13 dwellings on large lifestyle blocks and the Bacchus Marsh Grammar School is located immediately to the north.  

A key issue for the area is that the Special Use Zone Schedule 1 (coal mining) currently applies to many properties (including 10 dwellings) that are located beyond the boundaries of the mining licence associated with the Maddingley Waste and Resource Recovery (WRR) Hub. The local policy and Maddingley Framework Plan proposed by the amendment will provide long-term guidance to support the continuation of existing uses as well as enable undeveloped land to evolve for industrial activities through proponent‑led rezoning amendments. 

Amendment C119moor proposes to make the following changes to the Moorabool Planning Scheme ordinance: 

  • Insert local policy Clause 17.03-2L-02: Sustainable industry – Maddingley Framework Plan area. 

  • Amend:  

  • Clause 02.03-1: Strategic directions – Bacchus Marsh  

  • Clause 02.03-7: Strategic directions – Economic development 

  • Clause 17.03-1L: Industrial land supply 

  • Clause 17.03-2L-01: Sustainable industry 

  • Clause 19.03-3L-02: Integrated water management  

  • Schedule to Clause 72.08: Background documents. 

The amendment does not rezone any land. 

  • Council adopted the Maddingley Planning Study (Centrum, October 2025) and decided to seek authorisation from the Minister for Planning to prepare and exhibit Amendment C119moor.

    December 2025
  • Council requested Ministerial authorisation.

    December 2025
  • Ministerial authorisation granted to prepare and exhibit Amendment C119moor.

    January 2026
  • Public exhibition of Amendment C119moor.

    May-June 2026
  • Council considers submissions to either refer unresolved submissions to a planning panel, or abandoning the amendment.

    Late 2026
  • Planning panel hearing (if required)

    Early 2027
  • Council considers the planning panel’s report and either adopts the amendment as exhibited, adopts the amendment with changes, or abandons the amendment.

    Mid 2027
  • Council submits the amendment to the Minister for Planning for approval.

    Late 2027
  • Minister’s decision comes into effect upon gazettal.

    Early 2028

Review Amendment C119moor

A full explanation of Amendment C119moor can be found in the Explanatory Report and supporting documents on this webpage.  

You may also inspect the amendment, the explanatory report and any documents that support the Amendment free of charge, at:    

  • During office hours at the following Council facilities:   

  • Ballan office, 15 Stead Street, Ballan   

  • Darley Civic and Community Hub, 182 Halletts Way, Darley   

  • Lerderderg Library - Customer Service, 215 Main Street, Bacchus Marsh   

  • On the Department of Transport and Planning website www.planning.vic.gov.au/public-inspection or by contacting the department on 1800 789 386 to arrange a time to view the Amendment documentation. 

If you have any questions regarding Amendment C119moor, or if you wish to schedule a meeting (either in-person or online), please contact Council’s Strategic Planning team via email info@moorabool.vic.gov.au or phone (03) 5366 7100. Meetings can be scheduled during office hours throughout the public exhibition period. 

  • Exhibition of Moorabool Planning Scheme Amendment C119moor – Maddingley Framework Plan

    How can I make a submission?   

    Submissions can be made as follows:    

    • Online: submit a response by the survey link below. 

    • Via post: Manager Growth and Development, Moorabool Shire Council, PO Box 18, Ballan VIC 3342, with the subject “Submission to Planning Scheme Amendment C119moor”.    

    The closing date for submissions is Monday 8 June 2026.  

    Any person may make a submission to Council about the amendment. Submissions must be made in writing giving the submitter’s name and contact address, clearly stating the grounds on which the amendment is supported or opposed and what changes (if any) the submitter wishes to make. Name, email address and contact details of submitters are required. These details will be used by Council to provide further information about next steps in the amendment process, including opportunity to attend Council meetings and any public hearings to consider submissions.  

    Privacy Collection Notice: 

    Your submission and the information contained within it is collected by Council for the purposes of the planning process as set out in the Planning and Environment Act 1987. Council must make a copy of every submission available at its office for any person to inspect free of charge until the end of two months after the amendment comes into operation or lapses. Your personal contact details will not be published with your submission, and your personal information will be managed in accordance with the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014.  

    Note: In accordance with the Planning and Environment Act 1987, submissions that are considered vexatious, frivolous or wholly irrelevant to the amendment cannot be referred to a planning panel, and a panel may treat ‘like’ submissions as one submission if the panel is satisfied that they are ‘the same or substantially the same’. 

    Make a Submission

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FAQ

A full explanation of Amendment C119 can be found in the Explanatory Report and supporting documents on this webpage, or at the Department of Transport and Planning’s website:  Amendment C119moor.  

Bacchus Marsh is home to the State-significant Maddingley Waste and Resource Recovery (WRR) Hub, which includes a coalmine and landfill. These facilities play an important role in providing jobs and supporting the local economy. 

Some nearby properties, including around 10 homes, are currently included in a planning zone for coal mining, even though they are not part of the mining licence area. To look ahead for the future of this area a Planning Study was undertaken. The Maddingley Planning Study was completed in 2025. The Maddingley Framework Plan (below) came out of the Study and shows how the broader area could gradually evolve over coming decades. 

Amendment C119moor is the first step in the process to include the recommendations of the Maddingley Planning Study into the Moorabool Planning Scheme. It introduces the overall planning framework, including the Maddingley Framework Plan and supporting polices. It does not change any current zoning or affect how land can be used today. 

Private landowners or developers will be responsible for initiating future planning scheme amendments to rezone land within the framework plan area. These amendments would include further opportunities for community input and will be guided by the land uses identified in the Maddingley Framework Plan. 

The Maddingley Framework Plan recommends a mix of light and industrial uses between existing residential areas and the Hub. Planning guidelines recommend that heavy industrial facilities like the WRR Hub are surrounded by compatible land uses - this helps protect residents from noise, dust and traffic by providing a long-term buffer from the WRR hub.  

In locations closer to residential or education areas, the Framework Plan identifies potential for light industrial uses, which typically minimise noise, traffic and other off-site effect.  

Light industrial uses might include things like small workshops, storage facilities or similar businesses - not heavy manufacturing or processing operations. 

All individual submissions will be acknowledged in writing.  Following the exhibition process, section 23 of the Planning and Environment Act 1987 requires Council to consider all submissions made to the amendment and either: 

  • change the amendment in the manner requested in any submissions; or 

  • refer the submissions to an independent Planning Panel appointed under Part 8 of the Act; or 

  • abandon the amendment or part of the amendment 

A panel is appointed by the Minister for Planning to hear submissions about amendments to planning schemes, and to make recommendations or provide advice about if the amendment should proceed. 

It will have one or more members, depending on the issues involved. The basic role of a panel is to: 

  • give submitters an opportunity to be heard in an informal, non-judicial manner. 

  • give expert advice to the planning authority (in this case Moorabool Shire Council) about an amendment and about submissions referred to it. 

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Who's Listening

  • Rod Davison
    Senior Strategic Planner, Growth & Development
    Moorabool Shire Council

    info@moorabool.vic.gov.au
    (03) 5366 7100