Greater Avalon Employment Precinct
The Victorian Planning Authority (VPA) is working with the City of Greater Geelong to prepare a Precinct Structure Plan (PSP) and Development Contributions Plan (DCP) for a state-significant employment precinct in Avalon.
The project is located approximately 20km north-east from the regional city of Geelong and 55km south-west of the Melbourne CBD and features the Avalon International Airport as a key land use within the precinct.
The Greater Avalon Employment Precinct is identified in the Avalon Corridor Strategy and will use its proximity to the airport to establish an airport precinct that will feature significant industrial and commercial opportunities.
Looking north from Dandos Road to the You Yangs
Background information
The Victorian Planning Authority (VPA) a Victorian Government statutory authority that plans for urban growth across Victoria. We report to the Minister for Planning.
The VPA’s main task is to make sure Melbourne and Victoria’s regions remain great places to live and work. This requires vision and long-term planning to ensure our growing population has equitable access to employment, public transport, attractive public spaces and affordable housing.
We do this by working closely with councils, government agencies and the planning and development community on integrated land use and infrastructure coordination for new communities and strategically important precincts.
The Minister for Planning has appointed the VPA to lead this project from conception to finalisation. Throughout the project, we will work closely with the City of Greater Geelong, State Government agencies, local community members, and landowners to ensure the plan considers and reflects their input.
A Precinct Structure Plan (PSP) is a land use and infrastructure plan to guide the development of an area over time. It provides certainty for community members and developers by providing a long-term vision for how an area will develop in the future.
A PSP sets out the preferred locations of land uses and infrastructure, and provides guidance for transport and parking, urban design, heritage and character, open spaces and integrated water management.
Together with the broader planning framework, precinct structure planning is an important part of the Victorian Government’s strategy to address population growth, housing and employment demands.
The Cities of Greater Geelong and Wyndham in partnership with State Agencies have recently adopted the Avalon Corridor Strategy that identifies the Greater Avalon Employment Precinct for structure planning.
The precinct will capitalise on its proximity to Avalon International Airport, which was recently designated as an international airport. This offers a unique opportunity to conduct strategic land use planning that will help leverage the airport’s designation as Victoria’s second aerial gateway. The integrated plan for the Greater Avalon Employment Precinct will help the area accommodate this exciting economic growth by providing direction on land use, needed services and essential infrastructure to support the area.
The Greater Avalon Employment Precinct will align with the Avalon Corridor Strategy. This means planning for a site that provides industrial and commercial opportunities and responds appropriately to the context of Avalon International Airport and the rest of the corridor strategy area.
Project Status Update – September 2024
We have been working with the City of Greater Geelong to progress planning for the Greater Avalon Employment Precinct.
Since our last update in July 2024, we have:
- Begun drafting a draft amendment package for council and state agency consultation.
- Progressed the post-contact heritage, aboriginal cultural values, biodiversity, landscape and visual impact, high level servicing assessments, and gas and oil safety management studies.
In the coming months, we will focus on progressing technical work and preparing a draft amendment package for council and state agency consultation.