The Community Reference Group advising Horsham Rural City Council on the planning of a Horsham bypass has begun developing agreed criteria for how it will judge potential corridors for the route, a key step towards recommending a preferred corridor to move heavy traffic out of the town centre.
The group which brings together residents, farmers, and business owners from across Horsham, held its fourth meeting on 19 August 2026, focusing on how a bypass corridor should be chosen. Its task is to recommend the community's preferred corridor for a bypass, judged from a local and community perspective.
Mayor Cr Brian Klowss said the group was doing the groundwork that would make the eventual recommendation clear and fair:
"Getting heavy through-traffic out of the centre of Horsham has been a goal of this community for a long time," Cr Klowss said.
"What is different this time is that the community itself is in the room, setting the rules for how corridors will be judged before any lines are drawn on a map. Agreeing fair, evidence-based criteria first, is how we make sure every option is assessed the same way, and how the community can have confidence in the result."
At the meeting, the group worked through the kinds of issues that should shape those criteria, including:
Some options may be unsuitable from the outset because of environmental, cultural heritage, or other legislative requirements.
Current issues in town that each corridor would address in much the same way, such as safety, noise, and pollution. These are reasons a bypass is needed, but they do not help choosing between corridors.
Issues that differ from corridor to corridor, such as impacts on homes, farms, and businesses, the floodplain and river crossing, and making freight movement easier. These are the issues that will do the most to separate the options.
"Getting trucks out of town is something every bypass option would achieve, so on its own it does not help us choose between different corridors," Cr Klowss said. "The criteria that matter most are the things that genuinely differ from one corridor to the next."
The group is focused on moving large volumes of freight traffic out of the town centre while maintaining access for local businesses and freight operators.
The group will meet again on 1 September 2026 to continue developing the criteria and how they should be weighted. Once that work is done, it will begin looking at where potential corridors might go.
The Community Reference Group is supported by independent facilitators, Proud Mary Consulting.
Progress updates and background information are available at: hrcc.vic.gov.au/Our-Council/Projects-and-Works/Horsham-Bypass-Planning
Community Reference Group member Leoni Heard said the process had brought together a diverse range of perspectives in a respectful and constructive environment.
"I have found the CRG members to be incredibly respectful, with each person bringing different experiences to the table. We have had opportunities to provide comments at meetings and make suggestions on how we can achieve a successful outcome," Leoni said.
The group's work marks an important step towards identifying a bypass corridor that balances the needs of freight, residents, businesses, and the broader community.
