The Chiltern Precinct Plan
Re-imagining the future of Chiltern
The Challenge
In 2021, Indigo Shire Council purchased a 20ha parcel of land on the edge of Chiltern, a small rural township in the north-east of Victoria. The acquisition opened up new possibilities to catalyse social, economic and regional development opportunities for the township. Given the site’s large size, Council wanted to canvass community views about what the future use and development of the site could entail.
Council commissioned CoFutures to lead a collaborative engagement process to develop a vision for the precinct and undertake strategic planning investigations to identify constraints and opportunities. In collaboration with a community panel, assembled specifically for this project, the vision was to be translated into a Precinct Plan which establishes a spatial framework to guide future land use and development of the land. CoFutures worked with IncluDesign to develop a 'Community Concept Precinct Plan', grounded in place-based design principles and informed by community feedback every step of the way.
What We Did
- Undertook a detailed review of existing land use and development constraints, including site conditions, planning policy, zoning and overlay regulations, and the broader strategic context.
- Established a community panel to guide the progress and outcomes of the project.
- Co-designed a deliberative engagement program with the community working group.
- Developed a range of bespoke consultation materials to promote and raise awareness of the project.
- Delivered a range of community engagement activities to gather feedback on ideas and opportunities for the site.
- Translated community feedback into a Community Concept Precinct Plan.
Outcomes
The Chiltern Precinct Plan was unanimously adopted by Council in November 2023. We received unprecedented response from the community with over 1,000 pieces of feedback and the highest level of engagement experienced in the township for more than a decade. The community vision and guiding principles were developed through an iterative co-design process which translated community ideas into a 2D spatial plan. This will be used to inform future planning detailed design processes.
