Mansfield Shire Council received almost 150 responses to its Delatite Valley Plan when round two of its engagement closed in August.

Council officer responses to these submissions — published on Council’s Engage Mansfield page — were released on 17 October.

A statement on the Engage page said officers are now revising the draft plan based on the feedback received.

The updated draft is expected to be available for further community consultation in November.

“Your submissions have been heard and are helping us revise the next draft Delatite Valley Plan,” the statement read.

Among the prominent topics raised were:

• a walking track along the Delatite River;

• rezoning and housing density;

• tourism;

• public toilet locations;

• protection of the Delatite River;

• the character and history of the valley; and

• Merrijig’s role within the wider shire.

Council officers noted that existing planning-scheme maps around Sawmill Settlement and Alpine Ridge are included in the draft plan for context only.

They said the draft Delatite Valley Plan proposes to reduce the development investigation area south of the Delatite River and focus remaining land use toward lower-risk, tourism-aligned activities where appropriate, due to high bushfire risk.

Officers also reiterated that the draft plan does not seek to create high-density housing or introduce major new rezoning areas.

Officers advised they will review the extent of the proposed rezoning south of the river and consider a more suitable zone supported by a Design and Development Overlay.

Some submissions supported limited additional housing to sustain the school and hall, and officers said the next draft will aim to balance these views.

Water supply was also raised.

Council officers reported that Goulburn Valley Water verbally advised there would be capacity for up to 500 additional homes in Merrijig, with formal confirmation still to come.

Many submissions opposed the perceived density figure of 299 homes.

Officers noted the draft plan supports existing bushfire policy and does not propose more residential development in high-risk areas.

There were several objections to the proposed walking track along the Delatite River — including flooding, environmental and privacy concerns, biosecurity, littering and vandalism.

In response, officers said they will remove the walking track from the draft recommendations and instead explore broader path connections from Mansfield to Merrijig to Mirimbah as shown in the report.

Public toilet locations were also raised, with concerns about the proximity to the primary school.

Officers said the proposed location will be removed, and that community preferences will be sought for alternative sites.

They also noted that public toilets cannot be reserved for local use only.

A suggestion to place them near the Merrijig Hunt Club Hotel or Motor Inn was recorded.

The suggestion of a Delatite River Reserve will be examined further, with officers noting the land involved includes both Crown and council-managed sections.

Officers also recommended amending the reference to Merrijig as a “tourist gateway to Mt Buller and Mt Stirling” to better reflect the preferred community vision.

Submissions differed on whether Merrijig required any commercial development, and officers noted both viewpoints, including support for small-scale commercial uses to service future residents.

Officers said strategic planning requires a long-term view and encouraged the community to prioritise projects in the next round of engagement.

They also clarified that comments about worker accommodation at Mt Buller fall outside the Delatite Valley Plan, as Mt Buller is managed by Alpine Resorts Victoria and is not part of Mansfield Shire.

The full summary of submissions and officer responses is available on Engage Mansfield under Delatite Valley Plan – Engagement Round 2.