planning · Nillumbik Shire Council
Diamond Creek planning rules changed before ministerial sign-off
Nillumbik Shire Council backed a change to Amendment C144nill, removing notice and review provisions from Clause 7.0 before the plan goes to the Minister for Planning.
Diamond Creek’s Major Activity Centre planning controls have been altered before they reach the Minister for Planning, after Nillumbik Shire Council adopted Planning Scheme Amendment C144nill with changes on 30 June. The key revision removes notice and review provisions from Clause 7.0 of Activity Centre Zone Schedule 2, affecting how future development proposals in the centre are processed.
The amendment is tied to the Diamond Creek Major Activity Centre Structure Plan 2020. Council officers said it is intended to give statutory effect to that structure plan and reinforce planning settings that support modest growth, improved urban design and economic activity in the activity centre.
The amendment was considered after public exhibition produced one unresolved objection about the proposed notice and review provisions. A further separate submission was also forwarded to, and considered by, the independent Planning Panel after it raised matters not previously put during Council’s consultation and consideration phase.
The panel recommended one change to the exhibited amendment, and officers supported that recommendation. Council then adopted the amendment with that change and authorised officers to submit the altered version to the Minister for Planning for approval under the Planning and Environment Act 1987.
The vote put councillors in the position of choosing between the amendment as exhibited and the panel’s recommended revision. Cr Grant Brooker moved that the amendment be adopted with no changes as exhibited, and Cr Kelly Joy seconded the motion, but Council resolved instead to remove the notice and review provisions from Clause 7.0 and send the changed amendment to the minister.
For Diamond Creek residents, developers and planners, the issue sits in the procedural rules attached to future applications. The change affects how proposals in the Major Activity Centre are notified and reviewed under the planning scheme.
The amendment is now with the Minister for Planning for approval. Until that approval is granted, the revised controls are not in force.
The Diamond Creek item was one of several planning and project decisions taken by Council at the same meeting, alongside work on a tree protection policy, a reserve naming proposal and a range of tenders.
Reference minutes
Nillumbik Shire Council, Council Meeting on 30 June 2026.
Key facts from the minutes
- Council adopted Planning Scheme Amendment C144nill with changes.
- The change removes notice and review provisions from Clause 7.0 of Activity Centre Zone Schedule 2.
- The amendment relates to the Diamond Creek Major Activity Centre Structure Plan 2020.
- Council authorised officers to submit the changed amendment to the Minister for Planning.
- The panel report followed one unresolved objection about the proposed notice and review provisions.
- A further separate submission was also considered by the panel.
Why it matters
- The amendment changes the procedural rules for future development proposals in Diamond Creek’s Major Activity Centre and could affect how applications are notified and reviewed.