$700M Clarkefield Housing Plan Sparks Backlash as High-Density Proposal Bypasses Local Council

The quiet, rural hamlet of Clarkefield, nestled on the edge of the leafy Macedon Ranges, is currently home to just 300 residents, a small train station, a closed-down pub, and a fire shed. However, a massive $700 million housing project is threatening to completely transform the area's landscape.

Under the proposed plans, 2,500 homes would be constructed to accommodate over 6,000 new residents. But the project has drawn criticism for its high density. Some of the proposed lots are as tiny as 84 square metres—a density usually reserved for inner-city Melbourne—while many others fall below 300 square metres.

High-Density 'Village' Concept

Developer APD Projects has pitched the development as a medium to high-density "village" composed of "apartments, lofts, sohos, townhouses and terraces" that would replace Clarkefield's expansive paddocks and lifestyle properties. But local residents feel misled, claiming the plans submitted to the state planning minister for fast-tracked approval look vastly different from what was shown to them during community engagement in 2020 and 2021.

Local resident Angela Tiede was initially impressed by the developer's vision when it was presented in 2020, liking the concept of a sustainable, smaller village featuring a community farm and a renewable energy system. However, she believes those original plans have now been substituted with designs that are completely unrecognizable.

"I was thinking it was the original proposal, and it was only when someone said to me, 'Actually no, I think you should look at this again', it is absolutely not what was talked about," Ms Tiede said.

"So I think the developers have really tried to play a shifty here."

She criticized the inclusion of multi-storey housing in the updated plans. "To cram people into multi-storey buildings, they're talking three- and four-storey buildings, and still saying they're maintaining the atmosphere of the village, well that's just preposterous, really."

Infrastructure and Environmental Worries

Residents have expressed deep concerns regarding local infrastructure, pointing to inadequate road conditions, potential traffic congestion, and a lack of train carriages to support thousands of new commuters. There are also apprehensions about the "cookie-cutter" style of the proposed homes, as well as the environmental impact on nearby water tables, estuaries, and flood plains, which they argue require proper assessment.

The vision for the site began when landholder Rupert Clarke, whose great-great-grandfather Sir William Clarke surveyed 12,500 hectares of land during the Victorian gold rush, approached APD Projects to create a walkable, connected community. While APD Projects' guidelines outline modern townhouses and a shopping hub, the project has heightened tensions in the region, particularly after locals and leaders recently lost a fight against a development in nearby Riddells Creek.

State Government Bypasses Local Council

The Macedon Ranges Shire Council has been stripped of its authority to decide on the project. Instead, the application has been fast-tracked to the Victorian Minister for Planning under the state's controversial Development Facilitation Program (DFP), which bypasses local councils and removes the right of appeal for residents and local authorities.

In response, councillors sent a new submission to Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny in July, calling for their planning powers to be restored and requesting that an independent planning panel and advisory committee review the proposal due to its numerous "deficiencies." Minister Kilkenny is expected to announce her decision in September.

Kate Kendall, who resigned as Macedon Ranges mayor in July to run as the Liberal candidate for the seat of Macedon in the upcoming November state election, highlighted that the Clarkefield estate is one of the largest planning proposals the council has ever faced. She expressed concern that it goes against protections established for the Macedon Ranges in 2020.

"People really need to know what community they're moving into and what supports are there," Ms Kendall said.

"Communities, their voice, should be the number one thing and not cut out from large decision-making. "

"These decisions, which are triggering a lot of community backlash, are being driven by a sole decision-maker."

Fears of "Dictatorial" Decision-Making

Christine Pruneau, secretary of the Macedon Ranges Residents Association, has spent decades fighting local and state planning decisions. She argued that approving the Clarkefield estate would break the Labor Party's 2020 promise to protect the Macedon Ranges from inappropriate developments.

"You call 84 square metres a lot?" Ms Pruneau said. "You'd have to say that they're hardly big enough for a dunny."

She warned that the recent approval of the Amess Road development in Riddells Creek, combined with the impending decision on Clarkefield, sets a dangerous precedent for distinctive local landscapes.

"The minister for planning appears to be easily led with an amenable department because they've gone gung-ho for this proposal, using the developer's documentation to run what comes across as a secret amendment," she said.

"Anybody can just take over and become dictators. There's no planning sense in what's being done. "

"There's no strategic work. It's all been done by the developer, and you would have to be looking for bias."

Ms Pruneau has urged the state government to return to transparent public planning, stick to the Statement of Planning Policy, and order an independent assessment of the project.

Financial and Social Risks

While the council stated in 2020 that it did not wish to compromise the future development of Clarkefield, it emphasized that any project must be supported by adequate infrastructure. In July, the council warned that the Clarkefield estate presents long-term financial risks in terms of developing and maintaining infrastructure for 6,000 residents, alongside potential social impacts of isolating thousands of people without access to schools, healthcare, employment, or community services.

However, APD Projects has indicated that its plans include a super-lot of 140 affordable homes in the first stage of development, which is slated to be delivered alongside affordable housing provider Assemble.