Melbourne Strategic Assessment

A new approach to biodiversity in Melbourne's growth areas

The Victorian Government is introducing a new approach to conserve biodiversity in Melbourne’s growth areas that will significantly benefit stakeholders and the environment.

The new approach builds on the strategic approach of the Melbourne Strategic Assessment, which evaluated the impacts of the expansion of the Urban Growth Boundary and associated transport infrastructure on matters of national environmental significance protected under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).

Fact sheet - Overview of the new approach (Nov 2011) [PDF File - 425.1 KB]

Fact sheet - Overview of the new approach (accessible) [MS Word Document - 883.0 KB]

The government will deliver the new approach through two initiatives:

	Biodiversity Conservation Strategy for Melbourne's growth areas The Draft Biodiversity Conservation Strategy has informed the preparation of the draft Growth Corridor Plans prepared by the Growth Areas Authority. These plans set the strategic direction for future urban development of land in the growth areas over the next 20 to 30 years.
	The Time-stamping project This initiative will establish a ‘time-stamped’ native vegetation data set to be used to calculate the offset liabilities for development proposals in Melbourne’s new urban growth areas.

Public comments are now invited on the draft Biodiversity Conservation Strategy and Sub-regional Species Strategies as part of the public consultation process for the draft Growth Corridor Plans. Public consultation starts on Wednesday 9 November and will run for six weeks, closing at 5pm on Tuesday 20 December, 2011.

Submissions should be made to the Growth Areas Authority. Submissions can be sent via email or post:

email to: gcpsubmissions@gaa.vic.gov.au
post to: Growth Corridor Plan Submissions, Growth Areas Authority, Level 29, 35 Collins Street, Melbourne, 3000.

All submissions will be made publicly available at the end of the public consultation process. For more information about the draft Growth Corridor Plans, please contact the Growth Areas Authority on 03 9651 9600.

For current information on the Melbourne Strategic Assessment and the new approach to biodiversity in Melbourne's growth areas see the links below:

	The Melbourne Strategic Assessment - Program details Information on the Melbourne Strategic Assessment program. This includes the Program Report, which provides the full details of commitments under the program. Current information on Commonwealth approvals can also be found here.
	Planning requirements in Melbourne's growth areas Current information on planning requirements for Melbourne’s urban growth areas under the Melbourne Strategic Assessment program. This includes Commonwealth Prescriptions for matters of national environmental significance, requirements for salvage and translocation of threatened species, and details on native vegetation offsets under the program.
	The Western Grassland Reserves Read about the new grassland reserves, including details on the establishment process and adaptive management program for the reserves. This includes the Interim Management Plan and important information for affected landowners.
	Background to the Melbourne Strategic Assessment Read about the background to the development of the Strategic Assessment, including the Strategic Impact Assessment Report (2009) which was used to support the endorsement process for the Program Report.
	Getting more information Where to go for more information, including links to related projects.

Interpreter: If you do not speak English, please call 03 9280 0752 and a telephone interpreter will assist you with your call.

Please note: Document(s) on this page are presented in PDF format. If you do not have the Adobe Reader, you can download a copy free from the Adobe web site.

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