Wellington Shire has been winning attention from city dwellers this year as people shift to regional areas in search of open space, nature and affordable way of living.
Maffra has emerged as a popular choice, offering a vibrant and family-friendly small-town lifestyle with the conveniences normally only found in larger regional centres.
So, to unlock and manage population growth and guide infrastructure delivery in the town over the next 20 years, a new Maffra Structure Plan is being developed - and community members and stakeholders in the area are invited to help shape it by signing up to Your Wellington Your Say at your.wellington.vic.gov.au.
In recent years Maffra has experienced a housing shortage and this project aims at addressing this issue including how the key challenge of how stormwater drainage will be funded.
A public exhibition of the Maffra Structure Plan: Discussion Paper and Emerging Directions and a concurrent consultation period will run for six weeks from Monday 8 March until Monday 19 April. This will include a drop-in session 2.00pm-6.00pm on Tuesday 23 March at Maffra Memorial Hall, 11 Foster Street, Maffra.
"This plan will give us a really good framework for land use and new residential developments, and guide how we deliver new infrastructure as Maffra continues to grow," Wellington Shire Mayor Garry Stephens said.
"The aim is to give locals an even better quality of life while attracting new residents and businesses, so I encourage everyone to have their say," Cr Stephens said.
Following the community consultation, a draft Structure Plan will be drawn up and a second round of public and stakeholder consultation held. A final Structure Plan will then be implemented via the Wellington Planning Scheme, which guides the use, development and protection of land and buildings across the shire.
