Overview

The identified Winchelsea Short Term Residential Growth Area is located in the South East of Winchelsea township (see map below). Currently zoned Farming (FZ), this area has a long held strategic direction for residential use, is located within the existing settlement boundary and is subject to the Winchelsea Growth Area Outline Development Plan 2011.

Map: Winchelsea Short Term Residential Growth Area.

In April 2025 Council adopted the Urban Futures Strategy, establishing a framework to guide sustainable population growth in the Surf Coast Shire. Importantly the Strategy confirmed the strategic significance of land in the STRGA as a priority source of residential land supply in Winchelsea.

The land would require an appropriate residential zone to enable subdivision and development for urban residential purposes. A key direction in the UFS is the facilitation of a planning scheme amendment process to rezone the land for residential purposes as a key priority for Council. The rezoning process will be proponent (landowner) led and any development outcome would need to consider the area as a whole.

The Winchelsea Place Plan has also recently been prepared as a collaboration between Council and the Community Working Group. The Place Plan outlines a shared vision for Winchelsea’s future, supported by key principles to help guide growth and development. It captures what is most important to the Winchelsea community as the town grows to the year 2050 and beyond. The Plan provides principles to guide the future development of the STRGA.

The Strategic Planning Team is currently designing a process that would facilitate the rezoning of land for housing supply in the near future.

Contact us

For any project enquiries, please contact the Strategic Planning team via phone 03 5261 0600 or email info@surfcoast.vic.gov.au.