As part of the Plan Harcourt project you told us biodiversity was important to you. As a result, we completed a thorough biodiversity assessment and drafted planning controls for Harcourt that will be applied through an amendment to the Mount Alexander Planning Scheme.

The Plan Harcourt planning scheme amendment, known as 'Amendment C94malx', was gazetted into the planning scheme on 14 February 2025.

All documentation associated with the amendment can be found in the Mount Alexander Planning Scheme.

Key information

Broadly speaking the planning controls increase the protection of flora and fauna in Harcourt and:

  • Protect plant and animal species identified as significant and identifying ‘habitat corridors’, along roadside and waterways in Harcourt.
  • Correctly apply the Environmental Significance Overlay and Vegetation Protection Overlays on land in the Harcourt township.
  • Rezone land to Rural Conservation to protect larger areas of significance.
  • Revise the township boundary to account for the findings in the Strategic Biodiversity Assessment.

The planning controls apply to public and private land in Harcourt. Up to a few dozen private properties now have new planning controls in Harcourt.

For more information about the planning controls on your property, contact Council's Statutory Planning team.

The planning controls mostly apply environmental overlays to road reserves and public land, but up to a few dozen properties also have new planning controls.

For council, this means – road reserves and public land under their management.

For land owners this means – either restrictions around the unnecessary removal of the identified large, significant trees, or restrictions around carrying out works that may damage our waterway systems or significant habitat.

For more information about the planning controls on your property, contact Council's Statutory Planning team.

  • Plan Harcourt 2024

    The Plan Harcourt planning scheme amendment, was gazetted into the planning scheme on 14 February 2025.

    Read the plan 

  • Harcourt Framework Plan

    This project has updated the existing Harcourt Framework Plan in the Planning Scheme which sets the long-term strategic planning framework for Harcourt. It includes policy directions that designates future growth and change in the township.

    View the framework 

  • Strategic Biodiversity Assessment

    Read the two part assessment which recommended the new planning controls.

    Take me there