Planning Scheme Amendment VC67 approved the extension of the UGB and also the public acquisition of 15,000 hectares of western grasslands. The purchase of the 15,000 hectare western grasslands was to be funded by native vegetation offsets in the new growth areas.

The Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) has supposedly mapped all of the growth areas and applied time-stamping of native vegetation. Many properties have had native vegetation (NV) offsets placed upon them, and the owners are unaware!

Click here to read DSE's Native Vegetation Time-Stamping Data fact sheet.

Many of these NV offsets are estimates and are incorrect. Maximising offsets means more revenue for the Government to pay for the western grasslands. At present NV offset liabilities are $137,500 per hectare. So a 10 hectare patch of native vegetation will incur a liability of $1.375 million plus GAIC.

Click here to check your property on the DSE's Maps of Native Vegetation Habitat Score for Melbourne's Growth Areas.

For more information contact Greg on 0439974523.

The GAA has now released Growth Corridor Plans for comment.

The Growth Corridor Plans are high level integrated land use and transport plans that provide a strategy for the development of Melbourne's growth corridors over the coming decades.

The public is now invited to comment on the draft Growth Corridor Plans.

Public consultation runs for six weeks and closes at 5pm on Tuesday 20 December, 2011.

There are two ways to make a submission. You can mail it to the Growth Areas Authority, Level 29, 35 Collins Street, Melbourne, VIC, 3000 or email it to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

For more information, call 1300 366 356.

Click here to view the Growth Corridor Plans.