Mornington Peninsula Planning Scheme
Our Peninsula is a special and unique place
The Mornington Peninsula is a special place, with a unique relationship to the rest of Melbourne.
An hour’s drive from Melbourne’s CBD, the Peninsula spans 720 square kilometres, boasting magnificent scenic landscapes, productive rural land, and 190 kilometres of spectacular coastline around Port Phillip and Western Port Bays.
Our region is one of Melbourne’s premier holiday and retirement destinations, experiencing a huge influx of 6.5 million visitors a year. Our economy is diverse and thriving, generating about $9.5 billion annually.
Our prized Green Wedge covers 70% of the Peninsula and sustains a wide array of recreation, tourism, agriculture and viticulture activities. We are also home to the Port of Hastings – a state significant asset with naturally deepwater channels.
Our Shire is not a designated growth area of Melbourne, so it’s critically important to protect the Peninsula from inappropriate metropolitan development. Our population is housed in 40 different townships and villages, each with their own unique sense of place, nestled among scenic landscapes and surrounded by vegetation.
The Peninsula is rich in biodiversity, conservation values, and other natural resources of state, national and international significance. But these are under threat from environmental hazards like flooding, erosion and bushfire, and ever-increasing pressures for urban expansion.
Planning for the Peninsula's Future
Managing growth and development to ensure the special values of the Peninsula remain protected is a constant challenge for the Shire. That’s why we need clear policy directions and strong planning controls.
The Urban Growth Boundary must be maintained, and new development must respect the character of our landscapes, townships and neighbourhoods. Development must also protect our environmental and biodiversity values while responding appropriately to natural hazards.
The Mornington Peninsula Planning Scheme and Mornington Peninsula Localised Planning Statement help us achieve these goals.
Our Planning Scheme was first introduced in May 1999, when the former shires of Mornington, Hastings and Flinders were amalgamated. It is a legal document that sets out rules for using, developing and protecting land on the Peninsula. It contains State and local planning policies, zones, overlays and other controls.
Our Localised Planning Statement forms part of the Planning Scheme, setting the overarching vision for the Peninsula, which is to maintain the region’s special values through integrated planning, sustaining its contributions, and enhancing its character.
There are also a range of Background and Incorporated Documents which provide further context to the policies and controls in our Planning Scheme and contain additional rules that must be followed.
Managing Our Planning Scheme
Council is responsible for administering our Planning Scheme, but the Victorian Minister for Planning has ultimate control over its contents.
Our Strategic Planning team manages and maintains our Planning Scheme by:
Contact us
Phone: 5950 1003
Email: strategic.admin@mornpen.vic.gov.au
In writing:
Mornington Peninsula Shire
Private Bag 1000, Rosebud, Victoria, 3939