Strategic Planning

The Gannawarra Planning Scheme contains policies and provisions that control land use and development.

The scheme consists of maps that depict where zones and overlays apply within a planning scheme area, and ordinances, which are the policies and written clauses relevant to the scheme.

To view the Gannawarra Planning Scheme, please click here.

Changes to the Planning Scheme are known as amendments. Sometimes the Gannawarra Planning Scheme needs to be changed to reflect new circumstances, achieve a desirable planning outcome or support a new policy direction.

Planning Scheme Amendments can be initiated by the State Government, Council or privately, for example, by landowners.

An amendment may involve a change to a planning scheme map (such as a rezoning), a change to the written part of the scheme (including local policies), or both. Such changes are often informed by a new strategy or land use plan. 

The process for an amendment is set out in the Planning and Environment Act (1987).

For detailed information about amendments and the steps involved in undertaking them please visit the Victorian Department of Transport and Planning Amending a Planning Scheme and Amendments pages.

A summarised version of the Planning Scheme Amendment process is provided below:

Fees

Fees are set by the State Government and are levied at different stages of the amendment process.

Privately Requested Amendments

If you wish to change the zone to your land, you need to request a rezoning through a Planning Scheme Amendment from Council.  Any request will be considered on its merits.  Rezoning must follow a particular process and must be approved by the Minister for Planning.

The first step in contemplating a rezoning to your property is to talk to the Strategic Planning Team. If you wish the rezone your land, you will be required to justify why an Amendment to the Planning Scheme should occur. 

Privately requested amendments include a fee by the applicant and, if supported by Council, usually take approximately 18 months to two years to be finalised.

Preparation

If Council resolves to support the preparation of a planning scheme amendment, it is prepared by Council officers and is then reviewed by the Department of Transport and Planning.

Authorisation

Council formally seeks consent from the Minister for Planning to prepare and exhibit the planning scheme amendment. The Minister may support the amendment request, make it subject to conditions, or refuse the amendment request.

Exhibition

If the Minister for Planning consents to the amendment request, it is formally exhibited for a minimum of one month. A letter is sent to relevant Ministers, public authorities and owners and occupiers of land that may be affected by the amendment to inform them of the amendment. Notices are placed in the local newspaper and the Government Gazette.

Council officers can answer any queries about the amendment and can meet with any affected parties.

Anyone can comment and make a submission to the amendment, either in support or objecting to it.

Consideration

Submissions are considered by Council. A letter is sent to submitters and affected landowners and occupiers to advise them of the relevant Council Meeting date.

Submitters can take this opportunity to address Council if they wish to. Council considers the amendment and can refer it to an Independent Panel, or Council can adopt, change, or abandon the amendment without independent review.

Planning Panel

A Planning Panel provides an independent assessment of the amendment and submissions. the Panel will make recommendations in a report to Council, to assist the Council and the Minister for Planning to make a final decision about the amendment.

Decision

The Minister for Planning decides whether to approve the planning scheme amendment. A letter is sent to submitters and affected landowners and occupiers to advise of the outcome of the process. Notices of the decision are placed in the local newspaper and in the Government Gazette.

A Structure Plan sets a long-term vision to manage the anticipated growth in and around a town over a set period, generally not less than 20 years. 

The plan provides principles, objectives and guidelines to inform how the area should grow and change over time. Structure Plans are informed by background research, include community consultation, which assists understanding of what an area may need in the future and what key projects, changes or development are required to support achieving them.

Structure Plans are regularly reviewed to ensure that they are on track and are fit for purpose.

All development creates increased demand on infrastructure like roads, footpaths, stormwater drains, public open spaces and schools to support local communities.

Developers and government share responsibility for providing infrastructure.

Developers may contribute to infrastructure by:

• The payment of money.
• Providing land.
• Constructing infrastructure on behalf of public authorities (referred to as ‘works-in-kind’).

These are referred to as ‘infrastructure contributions’ and are delivered through a planning scheme amendment, a planning permit, or a building permit. 

Infrastructure contributions can be collected via:

• Development contributions plans (DCP)
• Infrastructure contributions plans (ICP)
• Public open space contributions

A development contributions plan is incorporated into a planning scheme as a schedule to clause 45.06 – Development Contributions Plan Overlay.

The DCP schedule can require:

• A development infrastructure levy
• A community infrastructure levy within a plan area
• Both of the above.

A DCP is prepared by a planning authority, usually a Council or the Minister for Planning. A DCP may also be prepared by a public authority that has been authorised by the minister.

The Planning and Environment Act and the Ministerial direction on the Preparation and content of Development Contributions Plans set out the requirements for the preparation and approval of a DCP. You can learn more about Ministerial directions by clicking here.

Development infrastructure levy

A levy which is calculated for the construction or acquisition of land for infrastructure items such as:

• Roads.
• Public transport.
• Basic improvements to public open space.
• Drainage.
• Maternal and child health centres.
• Childcare centres.
• Kindergartens.

This levy is uncapped as it is calculated from the apportioned cost of the construction or acquisition of land for each infrastructure item based on the projected ‘share of usage’.

Community infrastructure levy

A levy for the construction of other community or social facilities such as:

• Libraries.
• Community halls.
• Neighbourhood houses.
• Senior citizens’ centres.
• Public toilets.
• Aquatic centres.
• Other sporting facilities.

This levy was capped by DELWP (now DTP) in 2019-20 at $1,190 per dwelling and is now adjusted on 1 July each year.

For more information about Development Contributions, please click here.

Council as the responsible authority can negotiate an agreement with an owner of land to set out conditions or restrictions on the use or development of the land, or to achieve other planning objectives in relation to the land.

These agreements are commonly known as ‘section 173 agreements’. The power to enter into the agreement arises under section 173 of the Planning and Environment Act 1987 (PE Act).

Like other agreements, a section 173 agreement is a legal contract. However, the benefit of a section 173 agreement is that it is recorded on the title to the land so that the owner’s obligations under the agreement bind future owners and occupiers of the land. A further benefit of being recorded on the title is that it gives prospective owners notice of the agreement.

A section 173 agreement is enforced in the same way as a permit condition or planning scheme. It is an offence to use or develop land in contravention of a section 173 agreement.

The purpose of an agreement is to make it easier to achieve specific planning objectives for an area or particular parcel of land than is possible with other statutory mechanisms.

Click here to learn more about Section 173 Agreements.

Planning Scheme Amendment C48gann

Council sought feedback regarding Planning Scheme Amendment C48gann (the Amendment) during August 2026 and September 2026.

The Amendment proposed to implement the recommendations and findings of the Gannawarra Planning Scheme Review (2024). The review was prepared to satisfy the requirements of Section 12B of the Planning and Environment Act 1987. The review was completed on behalf of Council and was forwarded to the Minister for Planning in April 2025.

The amendment:

• Adjusted the structure of local content to ensure it aligned with the Ministerial Direction on the Form and Content of Planning Schemes.
• Updated department names, document references, terminology and statistical data.
• Updated the Municipal Planning Strategy (MPS) at Clause 02.01 – Context to include recognition of the Traditional Owners of the land where Gannawarra Shire Council sits, updates demographic information with newer ABS and Remplan data and introduced content from the Economic Development Strategy 2019-2024.
• Updated the MPS at Clause 02.02 – Vision to include reference to the most recent Council Plan (2021-2025).
• Updated strategic directions at Clause 02.03 to implement recommendations from the Planning Scheme Review to include policy from adopted strategic documents, in particular the Gannawarra Urban Growth Strategy (2023) which seeks to provide strategic direction for settlements in Gannawarra.
• Updated the Planning Policy Framework (PPF) at Clauses 14, 16, 17 and 19 to implement recommendations from the Planning Scheme Review.
• Updated various zone and overlay schedules to align with the Ministerial Direction on the Form and Content of Planning Schemes.
• Updated the Schedule to Clause 72.08 – Background Documents to delete, insert and modify various background documents.
• Updated the Schedule to Clause 74.02 – Further Strategic Work to prioritise the strategic work program based on the findings of the review, and to remove work that is no longer an immediate strategic priority for Council.
• Updated Zone maps where necessary and in accordance with the Ministerial Direction on the Form and Content of Planning Schemes.

The amendment also included updates to zoning maps to correct mapping errors and anomalies to 48 sites.

For more information, please click here.

Planning Scheme Amendment C49gann

The amendment will seek to implement the strategies and recommendations of the Gannawarra Urban Growth Strategy (2023) and its addendum (2026). This will involve amending the Municipal Planning Strategy to reflect a revised settlement hierarchy.

The revised settlement hierarchy will replace the distinction in policy between “principal towns” (which currently refers to Kerang, Cohuna and Koondrook) and “other towns.”

The revised hierarchy instead will characterise towns as district towns, rural towns, small rural towns, rural settlements, seasonal settlements, or rural localities.  

It is anticipated that the Amendment will be ready for public exhibition by early in 2027.

Implementation of the Gannawarra Heritage Study 

The Gannawarra Heritage Study was completed and adopted by Council in the mid-2010s.

It will be implemented through a Planning Scheme Amendment which will introduce new provisions in the Gannawarra Planning Scheme.  It is anticipated that the Amendment will be ready for public exhibition by the end of 2027.

Click here to view Volume 1 of the Gannawarra Heritage Study.

Click here to view Volume 2 of the Gannawarra Heritage Study.

Cohuna and Koondrook structure plans

These Structure Plans will be developed by Council's Strategic Planning team over the next 12 months, with extensive community consultation to occur.