Macedon Ranges Shire Council Moving Towards Sustainable Communities July 2012

Macedon Ranges Settlement Strategy project Other tools to deliver sustainability outcomes Workshop issues at tables Reconvene for discussion Conclusion Introduction

50km from Melbourne CBD Calder Freeway Melb-Bendigo Rail 41,860 upr (2011) 9 main towns Ag, tourism, retail & manufacturing, H&E services Macedon Ranges

Macedon Ranges Settlement Strategy “Recognizing physical and environmental constraints, community aspirations, government policy directions and key issues of land use planning, the Strategy will present a broad spatial strategy identifying options for the continuing sustainability of the Macedon Ranges communities.”

Macedon Ranges Settlement Strategy

Context Report Moving Towards Sustainable Communities Settlement Strategy Planning Scheme Amendment

Moving Towards Sustainable Communities

Purpose: “Provides a linking document between the Context Report and the Strategy, focusing on in- depth analysis of the key components of sustainable communities, and how they can be used to shape settlements in the Shire”

Moving Towards Sustainable Communities Method: “Through developing and applying selected indicators, the individual components of a sustainable community are assessed for each of the main settlements, providing insight into areas for potential improvements”

Moving Towards Sustainable Communities Sustainable communities: “meet the diverse needs of the existing and future residents, their children and other users, contribute to a high quality of life and provide opportunity and choice. They achieve this in ways that make effective use of natural resources, enhance the environment, promote social cohesion and inclusion and strengthen economic prosperity”

Moving Towards Sustainable Communities Components of sustainable communities Community Services and Facilities Community Engagement and Participation Environmental Housing and the Built Environment Transport and Connectivity EconomyUtility Services

Moving Towards Sustainable Communities Indicators of sustainable communities: “Indicators cannot tell us everything, but they can tell us enough to make better decisions possible”

Moving Towards Sustainable Communities Key characteristics of effective indicators include: Relevance to the issue being explored Easy to understand by non-experts Reliable, the information provided by the indicator can be trusted Based on accessible data, that is information which is available or can be gathered within a specified timeframe

Moving Towards Sustainable Communities Indicators of sustainable communities: “The indicators selected are not a comprehensive list, rather they provide a guide for assessing the sustainability of settlements within Macedon Ranges Shire”

Moving Towards Sustainable Communities Measure Number of education and training options within the settlement boundary. This measure provides a guide to the accessibility to education and training options for local residents.

Community services and facilities Approach A score is allocated to the number of education and training options available within the settlement boundary. A score of zero stars is allocated when no levels of education and training offered, whereas a score of four stars is achieved if residents of the settlement have access to preschool/kindergarten, primary school, secondary school and tertiary options.

Community services and facilities

Moving Towards Sustainable Communities

Settlement appraisals – Existing/economic role – Main features – Policy/strategy references – Zones and overlays – Township character assessment – Population – Indicators – Map Moving Towards Sustainable Communities

So what?

Moving Towards Sustainable Communities Tools to help improve sustainability new business incentive scheme community grant funding partnerships with education/training providers

Moving Towards Sustainable Communities Workshop Think about your settlements What indicators are relevant to you? – scoring system – collecting data – monitoring system What tools would you use to enhance the existing attributes and provide for those that don't currently exist?

Moving Towards Sustainable Communities Workshop Feedback settlement/region What indicators did you pick? Describe the: – scoring system – collecting data – monitoring system What are your suggested tools currently used or for the future?

Moving Towards Sustainable Communities Conclusion – Snapshot across the whole LGA – Helps understand the hierarchy of settlements – Identifies gaps and opportunities – Improves decision making

Macedon Ranges Shire Council Moving Towards Sustainable Communities July 2012