The Victorian Government is encouraging residents in Wyndham and South Gippsland to provide feedback for its Strategic Extractive Resource Areas pilot project, as it aims to introduce new quarry sites without interrupting local infrastructure and communities.
In May, Premier Daniel Andrews announced the first stage of Victoria’s Building Works package which included a $2.7 billion construction blitz.
The Building Works package is expected to see a large demand for aggregates from the state’s quarrying industry to ramp up activity that was doused by COVID-19.
Demand for local building materials from quarries was already doing the rounds in parliament prior to COVID-19’s building stimulus. Prior to the pandemic, the Victorian Government was already considering the need for a consistent and long-term supply of aggregates through its Strategic Extractive Resource Areas pilot project that was announced in 2018.
The state government expects Victoria’s population to double by 2050 — and that means more building materials will be required for new housing and infrastructure developments which the pilot is set to deliver.
The pilot aims to gel community and quarry development in a way that prevents any impact or overlap in the local areas.
“Clear planning controls will ensure we have the resources needed to continue delivering affordable housing, roads and infrastructure across Victoria, while managing the impact on local communities,” Department of Land, Water and Planning executive director of planning implementation Matt Vincent said.
With project development completed in May, the pilot has now entered its consultation stage, at a time where the construction industry is seeing record lows in activity.
Wyndham and South Gippsland have been chosen to pilot the proposed planning changes, which include securing extractive resources while gauging the potential of other land uses in the future.
The state government is encouraging residents from suburbs in the two municipalities to submit feedback and community input for the proposed planning divisions, including proposed boundaries and planning controls.
“Approvals for new or expanding quarries will remain robust with plenty of community input,” Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions head of resources John Krbaleski said.
Submissions can be made on the Engage Victoria website before 24 July 2020.
“If you live in the Wyndham or South Gippsland areas, learn about proposed changes to planning controls relating to potential quarry resources via the Engage Victoria website and have your say,” Krbaleski said
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