Greater Avalon (Employment)
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 – November 2024
VPA Business Plan 2024-25
The Minister for Planning has approved the VPA Business Plan 2024-25, outlining our work program and priorities for this financial year.
Greater Avalon (Employment) is on the VPA work program for 2024-25. This is a strong commitment from government for the VPA to get on with our planning for Greater Avalon (Employment), and to streamline and fast track the delivery of our plans where possible.
Planning for Greater Avalon (Employment) while protecting VGED habitat
In January 2023, the critically endangered Victorian Grassland Earless Dragon (VGED) was rediscovered in a location west of Melbourne. It was the first time the species had been sighted in more than 50 years, and it was previously considered likely to be extinct.
Since the rediscovery of VGED, the Victorian Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) has been working with the Commonwealth Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) to confirm its habitat distribution and how to undertake surveys for the VGED.
We now have clear guidance on how to progress planning for Greater Avalon (Employment) while protecting VGED habitat.
Find out more about planning in areas that include potential VGED habitat.
Update on our planning for Greater Avalon (Employment)
We have been working with the City of Greater Geelong to progress planning for Greater Avalon (Employment). Since our last update in September, we have:
- Progressed the transport, drainage, post-contact heritage, aboriginal cultural values, biodiversity, landscape and visual impact, high level servicing assessments, and gas and oil safety management studies.
- Begun preparation of the draft planning scheme amendment package.
In the coming months, we will focus on progressing technical work and the draft amendment package for council and state agency consultation.