Stratford Structure Plan (2025)

Stratford Structure Plan

The Stratford Structure Plan will provide a 20 year ‘strategic vision’ to guide future growth, infrastructure, local services, and better connectivity to define the preferred direction for future growth and how change will be managed.

Project Status:

Open (draft stage)

Background

The milestones achieved so far in preparation of the Stratford Structure Plan have included:

• November 2024: Mesh Planning (Consultants) were engaged to prepare the Stratford Structure Plan
• 5th and 6th March 2025: First round of Community Consultation Sessions were held in Stratford
• April 2025: Preparation of Draft Background Report
• 28th May 2025: Second round of Community Consultation Sessions.

‍

About the Stratford Structure Plan

The Stratford Structure Plan will:

• Articulate a sustainable vision for Stratford and provide clear, achievable directions for the growth of the town which are consistent with state and local land use planning policy directions.
• Define a study area and identify a strategically justified settlement boundary to consolidate growth within logical town boundaries and protect valued land outside of the settlement boundary.
• Assess the suitability and proposed locations of future residential growth. This will provide a strategic framework for future Planning Scheme Amendments to enable rezonings. This framework will form part of the required ‘strategic justification’ for applying to change zones. Note that Planning Scheme Amendments to rezone land are required to be proponent-led (private), and occur via precincts (multiple parcels), to ensure a coordinated approach. Supporting technical reports will be required to as part of any rezoning request (contamination, traffic, land supply and demand, bushfire assessment, stormwater, flooding reports etc).
• Identify the key infrastructure required to facilitate future growth.
• Identify opportunities for further retail, entertainment, office, industrial and other commercial and business services/activities.
• Protect environmental and heritage features within the town for example: creeks, parks, open spaces, and public land.

The Stratford Structure Plan will be used as the basis to support formal changes to the Wellington Planning Scheme through revised planning provisions, to facilitate the implementation of the Plan’s land use recommendations.

‍

Current Status

After the second round of Community Consultation held on Wednesday, 28th May 2025, Mesh Planning, in collaboration with Wellington Shire Council’s Strategic Planning Team, is currently reviewing the feedback received during these sessions. Following this stage, further work will be undertaken to refine the draft Structure Plan and associated reports.

A draft ‘emerging options’ map was presented at this session, to aid discussion and obtain community feedback on the growth vision for Stratford. A copy of this map can be viewed here, noting that this is high-level draft, and will be further refined as we progress towards a final draft Stratford Structure Plan.

‍

Further Information

If you have any questions regarding the Stratford Structure Plan, please contact the Strategic Planning team on 1300 366 244 or strategicplanning@wellington.vic.gov.au.

‍