Strategy & Plan Listing

The Shire's Arts and Culture Plan 2020-2024 strongly reflects the voice of our community and sets a vision for encouraging a rich, inclusive and vibrant culture on the Mornington Peninsula. Through this Plan, we will strengthen the capacity of our community and create an environment in which the arts flourish through Council’s involvement, support and investment in places and spaces, cultural activities and arts practice for the next five years.

Our Arts and Culture 2024 articulates the long-term benefits of growing and valuing culture in the Mornington Peninsula. The goals and strategies developed from over 1000 people's feedback aim to build community capacity by enabling people and places to thrive.

The Plan focuses on valuing our creative industries and cultural economy, access to broader arts and cultural experiences for our whole community and celebrating and enabling arts and culture on the Peninsula. 

The purpose of this strategy is to bring together Council’s strategic objectives, desired service delivery outcomes and future challenges, in order to establish objectives that will allow us to ensure our assets are providing value.

The purpose of this Asset Plan is to ensure the effective management and stewardship of Mornington Peninsula Shire’s assets over the next 10 years and beyond.

The Balnarring Pedestrian and Traffic Study was adopted by Council on 26 March 2019.  Increasing visitor numbers across the Mornington Peninsula, including typically quieter townships like Balnarring, have seen a rise in traffic volumes and pedestrian movements, as well as increased demand for parking.

To identify traffic issues within Balnarring and provide recommendations to address identified issues, the Balnarring Pedestrian and Traffic Study was developed.

A community questionnaire that was undertaken as part of development of the Study highlighted key traffic issues such as the five-way intersection at Frankston-Flinders Road, Balnarring Road, Balnarring Beach Road and Stumpy Gully Road; Frankston-Flinders Road and Balnarring Road regarding difficulties for pedestrians to cross the road; the intersections between Frankston-Flinders Road, Stanley’s Road or Warrawee Road; and difficulties finding parking within the Balnarring Activity Centre.

The Study includes recommendations for addressing traffic issues in the area such as continuing to collaborate with the Victorian Department of Transport & Planning (DTP) to develop plans for a roundabout at the five-way intersection; advocate to DTP for pedestrian crossing improvements on Frankston-Flinders Road and Balnarring Road; advocate to DTP for improvements to the Frankston-Flinders Road/ Stanleys Road/ Warrawee Road intersection; and attempt to work with private carpark owners to develop appropriate measures to efficiently managing the shopping centre carparks.

A number of the recommendations of the Study have been implemented since it was adopted by Council.

This Master Plan consolidates proposed improvements, and provides a development and management framework for the reserve in order to guide not only projects but also decision making for future improvements in the Reserve. The Master Plan addresses issues such as provision of sport and recreation facilities, opportunities for informal recreation, traffic and parking and environmental management. Through the Master Plan it is intended that outdoor recreation and sports participation will be fostered, community connections enhanced and natural values protected and enhanced.

The Master Plan has benefited from contributions from key stakeholders, user groups and the local community. Those taking part in the consultation process have been encouraged to provide feedback on what they consider to be the constraints of Balnarring Recreation Reserve and importantly what they consider to be great opportunities for the Reserve.

As a result of this input, the Master Plan directions reflect many of the views contributed during the consultation process.

The Balnarring Township Structure Plan (the Plan) was adopted by Council on 19 August 2019.  A key challenge for the Shire is the need to balance the demands for urban growth and the preservation of the natural landscape and rural activity on the Peninsula.  The Shire has already completed separate structure plans for the townships of Mornington, Rosebud, Hastings, Baxter and Somerville.

The role of the structure plan is to identify current and emerging issues and opportunities that relate to Balnarring township. It will set a structure that will provide for the form of development and traffic, transport and pedestrian connectivity and safety, among other things, that are appropriate to the vision for the township.

A structure plan determines what is working well in an area and how this can be enhanced, as well as how the area can grow and change in the future. It provides clear strategies for how this can be achieved. 

The recommendations of the Plan concerning the town centre were implemented into the Mornington Peninsula Planning Scheme by Amendment C271morn on 9 January 2025. Other parts of the Plan concerning neighbourhood character are being implemented into the Planning Scheme by Amendment C219morn.

At its meeting of 15 July 2024, Council noted the progress report relating to the Balnarring Township Structure Plan.

The Baxter Township Structure Plan (adopted by Council in April 2019) is a plan to manage future change in the township of Baxter. The Shire is currently undertaking a number of structure plans for its activity centres, including Baxter Township, to guide future development and provide effectively for changing community needs. 

A structure plan is a planning tool that sets out a vision for the future development of a place. It establishes a planning and management framework to guide development and land-use change and aims to achieve environmental, social and economic objectives.

An essential aspect of the structure planning process is feedback from the community on how the area should evolve. 

A structure plan determines what is working well in an area and how this can be enhanced, as well as how the area can grow and change in the future. It provides clear strategies for how this can be achieved. 

The recommendations of the Structure Plan were implemented in the Mornington Peninsula Planning Scheme by Amendment C269morn on 22 March 2023.

At its meeting of 15 July 2024, Council noted the progress report relating to the Baxter Township Structure Plan.

Mornington Peninsula Shire is adopting an ambitious target to send zero waste directly to landfill by 2030. Following  extensive consultation, the Shire has developed a Beyond Zero Waste Strategy that contains actions across the next ten years to support a circular economy and meet the Shire’s annual greenhouse gas emission reductions target.

The Mornington Peninsula Shire will provide integrated and safe bicycle facilities that encourage and provide opportunities for residents and visitors to use bicycles as a means of transport undertake healthy exercise and participate in recreational activities across the environments of the Mornington Peninsula.

Our natural environment and biodiversity are a key part of what makes the Peninsula such a special place to live, work and visit.

The Shire's Biodiversity Conservation Plan (adopted 13 August 2019) establishes strategies and actions to protect and improve the resilience of the Mornington Peninsula's natural environment and biodiversity.

Actions outlined in the Plan are focused on six key areas:

• Engaging with the community and building stewardship;
• Facilitating biodiversity conservation on private land;
• Protecting biodiversity through planning and policy;
• Building a strong knowledge base;
• Demonstrating and leading best-practice land management; and
• Building ecosystem resilience in a changing climate.

To find out more about the Peninsula's natural environment visit our natural environment and biodiversity. 

To see the progress we've made implementing the Biodiversity Conservation Plan, you can download our latest progress report below.