Croskell (Employment)

Amendment C296case to the Casey Planning Scheme 

The Croskell (Employment) Precinct Structure Plan was approved by the Minister for Planning and gazetted on 13 March 2026 under Amendment C296case to the Casey Planning Scheme. 

To view a copy of the final amendment documentation, including the Croskell (Employment) Precinct Structure Plan, refer to: 

About the precinct

The Croskell (Employment) precinct is located approximately 40km southeast of Melbourne’s central business district within the City of Casey. The precinct encompasses around 317 hectares and is bounded by Thompsons Road to the north,  Berwick Cranbourne Road to the east, and Narre Warren Cranbourne Road to the west. The boundary of the Croskell (Employment) precinct was expanded in January 2023 to encompass the entirety of 1450 Thompsons Road, an addition of 12.23ha.

 

Victorian Desalination Project

The Victorian Desalination Project includes the largest desalination plant in Australia. Located in Wonthaggi, Victoria, the plant can deliver up to 150 billion litres (150 gigalitres) of fresh drinking water per year.

It uses reverse osmosis and state-of-the art technology and processes. Reverse osmosis is the most energy-efficient method of desalinating water.

The VDP has been in operation since December 2012. The plant presents vital infrastructure to maintain water supply during periods of drought and can provide 150 gigalitres of additional water a year.

A growing population and climate change are expected to place increased pressure on our water supply. Therefore, as a critical element of our water supply grid, the VDP’s infrastructure requires protection against encroachment that could potentially damage or impact the infrastructure.

The VDP is state significant infrastructure and is a key component of the delivery of Water for Victoria Water Plan 2016 and the Central and Gippsland Regional Sustainable Water Strategy 2022.

The VDP is an asset that requires protection against inappropriate land development or changes in land use that potentially could damage or impact the infrastructure.

To minimise the risk of any damage or disruption to the VDP assets, the VPA has worked with the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) to minimise the number of new north-south crossings (road, shared user path or drainage) that are provided over the VDP underground assets.

Project Status Update – July 2025

The Victorian Planning Authority and the Minister for Planning have received the Standing Advisory Committee’s Report for the Croskell (Employment) Precinct Structure Plan (PSP) and Infrastructure Contributions Plan. We are working with all stakeholders to finalise the amendment for consideration by the Minister for Planning. The Committee’s Report will be released at the time of gazettal of the PSP. 

As part of our finalisation of the amendment, the VPA have engaged EY to conduct valuations for properties where landowners are providing a higher than average percentage of public purpose land within the Infrastructure Contributions Plan. The affected landowners will be contacted in July for with the outcomes of this valuation and an outline of next steps.  

We will continue to work with Melbourne Water to finalise the next iteration of the Development Services Scheme (DSS) and the final PSP/ICP amendment documents will incorporate the latest DSS plans (Revision D). Melbourne Water plans on sharing the DSS (Revision D) documents in 2H 2025 with all stakeholders via their Lets Talk website. 

Previous Project Status Updates

Supporting Documentation

Croskell PSP – ICP Transport Concept Design and Costs - Design Report (SMEC) July 2025
Croskell PSP – ICP Transport Concept Design and Costs - Design Report (SMEC) July 2025 PDF  Version
Croskell (Employment) PSP - ICP Transport Designs (SMEC) October 2025
Croskell (Employment) PSP - ICP Transport Designs (SMEC) October 2025 PDF  Version
Croskell (Employment) PSP - VPA Projects Standing Advisory Committee Report - Referral 11 - May 2025
Croskell (Employment) PSP - VPA Projects Standing Advisory Committee Report - Referral 11 - May 2025 PDF  Version