Important Council survey to guide the future of your neighbourhood

Did you move to Nillumbik for its green spaces and treed environment?

Have you seen changes that are not for the better?

Do you want to ensure that what you value most about where you live is considered when the Council decides whether to approve a new development near your home? If so, it is extremely important that you tell the Council about the character of your neighbourhood.

You can do so by:

– completing Council’s online survey at https://participate.nillumbik.vic.gov.au/neighbourhood-character-strategy

or

– making a written submission via the same webpage

before the survey closes at midnight on Monday 10th October 2022.’

 

The Nillumbik Shire Council’s draft Neighbourhood Character Strategy, based on the community’s response to the initial survey on Participate Nillumbik that closed on 8 May, is now open for community and stakeholder feedback for 6 weeks.

If you want to help shape your neighbourhood’s future character you should check how it, and other areas, may be affected by this draft Neighbourhood Character Strategy.

It is important that we all have our say.

Visit Participate Nillumbik for more information and to provide feedback

  • This Participate Nillumbik survey is informative and easy to use.
  • There is the opportunity to include text in the feedback form after ticking the boxes. Or you can upload a written submission via the link in the webpage.
  • Using the interactive online tool at Participate Nillumbik (via the link below) you will find more information about the Strategy and the proposed changes.
  • By entering your address in the ‘search’ function you can find out which proposed neighbourhood type applies to your property or street. All the information relevant to your area, such as preferred character, design responses etc, is then available via the search report.

The Preferred Character Statement, Neighbourhood Character Objectives and Design Responses in this Neighbourhood Character Strategy will be used to inform Council’s Housing Strategy, the next strategy due to be undertaken. It’s important to consider this impact!

Here are some ideas regarding what to consider in the draft Strategy:

  • Read the short, easy to read, statements closely and raise/query anything that you think is ambiguous or inappropriate for your area – e.g. does ‘respond to’ or ‘complement’ the ‘predominantly one to two storey dwellings’ mean there are, and will be, three storey (or more) dwellings right throughout Eltham? Planning ‘speak’ suggests so.
  • Do you agree with the Preferred Character Statement? If not, why not?
  • Are the building setbacks suggested for your area sufficient? Are there front and rear setbacks or just side ones?
  • Reference to more than one dwelling per site is mentioned throughout. Is this expected in all areas? Do you agree?
  • For the proposed ‘Bush Residential 2’ area, what does ‘a neutral colour palette of natural materials’ really mean? The current guidelines for ‘Bush Garden Precinct 1’ are more precise when they refer to ‘earth tones’ or the use of ‘earthy tone finishes or paint colours’. They also specify the colour brown for bricks and tiles and state that what those guidelines are aiming to achieve is that: ‘Bushland colours and textures are respected in exterior finishes’.

Council want our involvement and feedback.

If you want to raise concerns about the proposals in the draft Strategy (or if you approve of the proposed changes and want the Council to know this), you should ensure that you:

  • complete the online feedback form on Participate Nillumbik or
  • provide a written submission

by no later than 11.59pm Monday 10 October.

 

Have your say before your neighbourhood changes so that the things you like about it must be taken into consideration in future Council planning decisions https://participate.nillumbik.vic.gov.au/neighbourhood-character-strategy

Wondering what Neighbourhood Character actually means? Find out here.

To compare the proposed Neighbourhood Character areas with our current precincts check the map below.

In what kind of Neighbourhood Character Precinct do you live?

You can find out on the map below and then click on the relevant link to check out what the neighbourhood characteristics are of your area in the current planning scheme.

What do you like about your area, what aspects do you think should be protected and enhanced?

  Semi-Bush (SB)

  Bush Garden (BG)

   Garden Court (GC)

   Eltham Central (EC)