We the undersigned request that the points in following submission to Harcourt's Planning scheme (as part of Plan Harcourt) be considered and carried out to preserve the character of Harcourt and minimise the environmental impacts of future developments.

In summary of the below, these points are:

Implement a Design and Development Overlay for future town zone expansion areas (A-D) in order to preserve the character of Harcourt and ensure environmentally sustainable design, which would require future developments to have:Wide nature strips planted with endemic plants to fit with the character of the area (similar to roadside verges along Leafy Lane).

• Minimum lot sizes of 1200 square meters, particularly in areas further from the town centre.
• Buildings to incorporate neutral/earthy colours, natural materials and, as much as possible, recycled, local and low carbon materials; similar to the DDO for the town center.
• Require new houses to be designed with passive solar design principles, require solar panel installation and have light coloured roofs.
• Provide incentive for new homes to install small to medium sized water tanks to capture rainwater for watering gardens and flushing toilets.
• New roads in housing developments to be curved.
• The provision of public open space/community gathering places/parks in larger subdivisions/developments.
• Require any water sensitive urban design landscaping to require the planting of species endemic to this bioregion.
• Require that a significant tree be planted in each backyard as part of the certificate of habitability.

The full text of the petition/submission, including justification for the above points, can be found below.

As someone who grew up on Eagles Rd, I would love for the community of Harcourt to expand with environmental sustainability principles in mind, in a way that maintains the character of the community and the rural setting. It is my hope that members of the community will resonate with these ideas, and that submitting a petition along with my submission to council will give it a little more weight. Thank you for joining me in exploring these ideas as potential enhancements of Harcourt’s rezoning.

1. Environmentally Sustainable Design in Mount Alexander Shire

Mount Alexander Shire Council is part of the Elevating ESD (Environmentally Sustainable Development/Design) Targets Planning Policy Amendment project run by an independent alliance of councils known as Council Alliance for a Sustainable Built Environment (CASBE).

The alliance is delivering elevated ESD targets, as well as setting targets for zero carbon development. As a member, this is a historic opportunity for the council to play an active and visible leadership role, as well as:

• “follow through on the “Mount Alexander Planning Scheme Review 2019‘s recommendation to prepare a local planning policy on ‘Environmental Sustainability’ to address energy, waste, and water efficiency issues
• take urgent action to address the current and future impacts of climate change on the health, economy and wellbeing of the local community and its environment as part of its 2021 climate emergency declaration
• pursue the objective for healthy living through enhanced urban planning and design of the built environment as stated in its Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plan 2021-25”

The council has an opportunity to lay the groundwork for subdivisions and developments of very high quality, by leading on sustainability, overseeing better building standards to promote more sustainable subdivisions, and taking responsibility for development that provide healthier environments and better health outcomes for our communities and the ecosystems that contain us.

We want to see the seven categories within the Sustainable Subdivision Framework set out by the CASBE adopted by the council and applied to Plan Harcourt and other future developments within the shire. The categories are: site layout and livability, streets and public realm, energy, ecology, integrated water management, urban heat and circular economy and should be applied to all new developments and subdivision within Areas A-D, and each development should be assessed against the criteria in CASBE’s Subdivisions Applicant Kits. We have incorporated aspects of these seven categories into our submission.

This is a momentous opportunity for Mount Alexander Shire Council to set a precedent and create a flagship rezoning, including a Design and Development Overlay that would require best practice environmentally sustainable design while maintaining neighbourhood character and affordability, and perhaps encourage developers to rethink their approach and develop a triple bottom line that takes into account the climate and ecological emergency.

2. Maintaining the Character of Harcourt and Demonstrating Leadership in Environmentally Sustainable Development: A suggested Design and Development Overlay for Areas A and B

At present, Schedule 12 to Clause 43.04 Development Plan Overlay (the proposed amendment to the Mount Alexander Planning Scheme) does not adequately specify or protect the neighbourhood characteristics that need to be maintained as part of new housing developments or subdivisions, specifically in town expansion areas A and B.

Without clear definition, such characteristics would be open to the subjective interpretation by developers (who are sometimes more concerned with their bottom line than they perhaps should be).

The consideration and inclusion of the following points in the amendment show council’s dedication to Environmentally Sustainable Design (ESD) and would ensure the neighbourhood characteristics we know and love, as well as our pride of place, will be maintained during the expansion of the town zone and any subsequent developments.

2a. Though well intentioned, and a provision of affordable housing in the region, the recent subdivisions on Market St (Molly Dr and Pippin Ct) do not maintain the overall neighbourhood character, or respect the natural bushland setting of Harcourt for the following reasons:

• Predominantly small (<1000 square meter) lot size is inconsistent with the majority of other lots in the town zone, giving this area a bit of a boxed-in feel, which doesn't maintain the "open space" aspect of the town's character, as stipulated in Plan Harcourt.
• Lack of native vegetation on nature strips, particularly the one immediately adjacent to Market St.
• Housing design that is not consistent with the bushland/rural setting.
• Sparse street trees.
• Short, straight roads that would be more at home in a city than in a farming town.
• The subdivision does not cohere with the Council Alliance For a Sustainable Built Environment’s Sustainable Subdivision Framework (CASBE, 2021), which we believe any new subdivision in the shire should be adhering to, given the climate and ecological crisis in which we find ourselves.

2b. As such, we suggest a Design and Development Overlay (DDO) be applied to Town Zones A and B (and later to be applied to C and D when and if necessary), so that Harcourt's unique character is maintained as a picturesque village in a natural setting, that environmental impact is minimised and that future housing developments and subdivisions align with these aims.

In addition to the existing amendments proposed in Appendix 4 of the Plan Harcourt document and the Schedule 12 to Clause 43.04 Development Plan Overlay, we would like to see the following additions as part of a DDO. Alternatively, the following points could be added to the existing Schedule 12 to Clause 43.04 Development Plan Overlay under the heading of “Maintaining Town Character” and should also be included in 21.12-6 Harcourt. Justifications have been provided below each applicable point:

• Wide nature strips consistent with the existing area (i.e. like those along Leafy Lane) planted with endemic species, to provide additional and enhance existing habitat, in alignment with the Roadside Conservation Management Plan.

This would create more public open space, provide more green space in new developments that require minimal maintenance, create wildlife habitat, provide privacy for new homes, create shade and reduce the urban heat island effect.

• Minimum lot sizes of 1200 square meters

To maintain consistency with larger surrounding lots (especially in areas on the outskirts of areas A and B that are surrounded by paddocks), allow more area for gardens and to maintain a sense of open space. Larger lot sizes will also allow for urban fruit and vegetable production, which can bring a strong benefit to the social, built, economic and natural environments and can contribute toward a resilient, thriving local food system. This would allow new residents to more actively contribute to the “town of growing, producing and making” (as stipulated in the Harcourt Framework Plan) if they wished to.

Larger lots also allow more space for trees and gardens, providing habitat for birds and insects.

At the very least, the minimum lot sizes for each town area (as described in the Neighborhood Character Analysis (NCA), Plan Harcourt Appendix 5) should not be smaller than the average lot size in that area. For example, the average lot size of Area 3 in the NCA is 1000 square meters, so any lot sizes should not be smaller than that to avoid crowding and maintain open space.

One of the justifications for smaller lot sizes in area B is it’s walkability to the town center. Eagles Rd currently has no footpaths or bike lane, and given the hillcrest and an increase in traffic, walking to town would not be an attractive option for many people. WIthout addressing this issue, this justification for small lot sizes becomes redundant.

• Buildings to incorporate neutral/earthy colours, natural materials and, as much as possible, recycled, local and low carbon materials; similar to the DDO for the town center.

This would ensure visual harmony with the natural environment, be good ESD practice and provide aesthetic outcomes in keeping with the town’s character.

• Require new houses to be designed with passive solar design principles, require solar panel installation and have light coloured roofs.

This would reduce greenhouse gas emissions from heating and cooling, reduce the urban heat island effect, fight climate change by reflecting solar energy (Oleson et al., 2010), it would align with the Plan Harcourt objective of ensuring "well designed infill development" and may attract sustainability and community-minded people to the town.

• Provide incentive for new homes to install small to medium sized water tanks to capture rainwater for watering gardens and flushing toilets.

In an area of variable rainfall, and in the face of further variability due to climate change, this would reduce water use in peak summer periods.

• New roads in housing developments to be curved.

This would be more in alignment with the natural feel of the area, as few things in the natural environment are perfectly straight, and would provide greater opportunity for varied lot shapes and sizes. This would also reduce the homogeneous feel that is commonly associated with contemporary affordable housing developments.

• The provision of public open space/community gathering places/parks in larger subdivisions/developments.

This would ensure new suburban areas are more than just dormitories and would create more opportunities for social interaction with immediate neighbours.

• Require any water sensitive urban design landscaping to require the planting of species endemic to this bioregion.

This would give plants a better chance of survival with minimal maintenance (watering), fit with the landscape and provide more appropriate habitat for local creatures.

• Require that a significant tree be planted in each backyard as part of the certificate of habitability.