Amendment C232card to the Cardinia Shire Planning Scheme (Officer Town Centre Review)
The Officer Town Centre Review was approved by the Minister for Planning and gazetted in March 2020 under Amendment C232card to the Cardinia Planning Scheme.
To view a copy of the final amendment documentation, including the Officer Precinct Structure Plan, refer to:
- Officer PSP – September 2011 – Amended November 2019 (PDF) (Approved and Gazetted)
- Amendment C232card
About the Precinct Structure Plan
A key component of the Officer Precinct Structure Plan is the town centre, which is identified as a major town centre in key strategic planning documents, including Plan Melbourne. Since the original Officer Precinct Structure Plan was approved in 2011, there has been little private investment in the additional services and facilities required by the growing community. The Victorian Planning Authority (VPA) and Council have worked together to amend the previously approved PSP, with the aim to unlock investment in the town centre.
Amendment GC75
The Development Contributions Plan (DCP) for this precinct was amended as a result of Amendment GC75. Amendment GC75 made changes to 43 existing DCPs by making changes to the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) payable in these DCPs.
For further information, refer to:
- Officer DCP – September 2011 – Amended November 2019 (PDF) (Approved and Gazetted)
- Amendment GC75
Interactive map of Officer Precinct Structure Plan
Public Access to Spatial Data
The Victorian Planning Authority (VPA) makes spatial data for gazetted plans available through the use of an online ‘Open Data’ portal. Spatial Data available for this precinct is provided for reference only and holds no official status. Please see our Open Data page for a detailed description of the data and links to download.
Background information
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 residential and employment land 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.
Project information
Officer is located in Cardinia Shire local government area, in the South-East Growth Corridor of Melbourne.
The Precinct is approximately 1,021 hectares of land and is located between the existing urban areas of Beaconsfield (to the west) and Pakenham (to the east), with the Urban Growth Boundary forming the northern boundary of the PSP and the future Officer Employment PSP to the south.
The Victorian Planning Authority (VPA), in collaboration with the Cardinia Shire Council, has reviewed the Officer Precinct Structure Plan (PSP), and focused on sections related to the Officer town centre.
The PSP was originally prepared by Cardinia Shire Council in 2011, and guides the development of the Officer precinct and reserves land for key infrastructure, such as roads, local parks and community uses.
Next steps
The VPA is responsible for preparing the revised PSP for Officer, however it cannot determine what or when development will occur in the town centre. The PSP establishes a blueprint for development, however the exact type and timing of development is determined by the owners of each land parcel. It is hoped that with increasing residential development in Officer and a simplified, revised PSP, private investment in the town should follow.
Review process
The review process included a thorough assessment of the controls that apply to the Officer town centre, resulting in significant consolidation of much of this content. In particular, the review has removed a number of the more onerous and repetitive controls included in the PSP, while retaining the strategic intent of the document to plan for high-quality, engaging, urban development.
The review also included an assessment of the table of uses in the Urban Growth Zone Schedule 4, which sets out the land uses that are allowed in the town centre. The review has replaces the previously very complex table with standard residential and employment zones, for example Commercial 1 Zone. This will make it easier for planners and development applicants to understand how different parts of the town centre can be developed.
The review aimed to simplify and consolidate many of the planning and design guidelines and other parts of the text relating to the Officer town centre. This has made it easier for applicants and planners to understand what is required of development in the town centre.
However, the review does not intend to make significant structural changes to the plans for the Officer town centre e.g. it does not plan to change the road network or location of parks.
All changes in the revised PSP are identified in both the contents page and body of the document by a note indicating content has been either ‘inserted’, ‘deleted’ or ‘amended by C232’. Page numbers are the same in the original and revised PSPs, so it is easy to directly compare the content of each.
The current PSP includes a number of relatively prescriptive and repetitive controls that do not allow the flexibility and adaptability required to facilitate private sector investment. While the PSP is important in establishing a blueprint for the future town centre, it should allow applicants to interpret the plan appropriately. This flexibility enables a vibrant town centre that is able to adapt to changing commercial trends, and other changing circumstances.
This review will stimulate investment in the town centre by firstly, improving the flexibility of the controls applying to the town centre, removing barriers to development. Secondly, the review will standardise the residential and commercial zones applied by the Urban Growth Zone so applicants and planners have greater certainty about what can be built in the town centre.