Avenue Oriented
The Avenue Oriented typology is formed by large, mature, evergreen and deciduous trees framing key gateways and visitor routes in and out of the township.
When you think about the character of your township in the Alpine Shire, what comes to mind? Does it look a particular way? Does it make you feel something that you don't feel anywhere else?
Feedback Summary and Response
Alpine Shire Neighbourhood Character Strategy 2025 – Engagement Summary
Provided for 24th February 2026 Alpine Shire Ordinary Council Meeting
The Draft Alpine Shire Neighbourhood Character Strategy 2025 (the Strategy) was open for a 28-day community engagement period in October 2025. Across the engagement period, the document was downloaded over 100 times, and we received 10 formal submissions providing feedback.
Feedback received was largely supportive of the Strategy, with most respondents supporting steps towards preserving the current look and feel of Alpine Shire’s townships.
Feedback received that is not addressed in the Strategy is currently being realised through various elements of the broader strategic work plan. This includes issues such as increased tree canopy coverage in Myrtleford, being addressed in the draft Street Tree Masterplan, and preserving farmland beyond residential growth areas, being addressed in the Rural Directions Strategy 2025.
A small amount of concern regarding increased regulations restricting development was raised, however, as stipulated in the Strategy, development restriction is not an intended outcome of this work.
Our previous engagement
The Neighbourhood Character Study (NCS) is a guiding document that will help to define the character of Bright, Mount Beauty/Tawonga South, Myrtleford, and Porepunkah.
The NCS will guide strategic planning works for these four townships to support the protection and enhancement of residential development now and into the future.
We have engaged Mesh Planning to develop the NCS, which is made up of a Neighbourhood Character Assessment, Design Guidelines, and Implementation Plan.
Neighbourhood character is a collection of materiality, landscape, distance between buildings and the integration of public and private realm. It is the fabric of an area - what provides an area with its sense of place and community meaning.
We have identified nine different typologies with unique characteristics for different areas of the four townships: Bright, Mount Beauty/Tawonga South, Myrtleford and Porepunkah.
The NCS provides guidance to community, planning professionals, building and statutory planning officers by providing a consistent description of neighbourhood character for Bright, Mount Beauty/Tawonga South, Myrtleford and Porepunkah.
The NCS provides guidance on preferred future character including housing options and density as the town continues to grow and experience infill development. It will ensure some of the key characteristics that make our townships unique are considered as our towns grow.
The purpose of the NCS is to:
- Identify the existing neighbourhood character of the residential areas of Bright, Mount Beauty/Tawonga South, Myrtleford, and Porepunkah,
- Identify the valuable elements of their landscape and streetscape character,
- Define a preferred future character for residential areas that have commonalities, identified as Character Typology Areas,
- Develop Design Guidelines to provide certainty to the community and development industry of intended built form and landscape outcomes for residential development, and
- Set an Implementation Plan for neighbourhood character and support Council decision-making for future residential development.
Neighbourhood character does not prevent or restrict development or density. This is governed by the zone of the land (i.e., properties in General Residential Zone can build up to three storeys). Neighbourhood character considers setbacks, fabric, landscape and public/private realm that forms the make up of an area, which a planning application should consider.
There will be multiple opportunities for you to have your say on the NCS, including:
- Online survey (please refer to the survey on this page)
- In-person pop-ups in Bright, Mount Beauty/Tawonga South, Myrtleford and Porepunkah
Due to the extent of the assessment, we will only be accepting responses from existing residents.
Upon review of preliminary community feedback and any further technical investigation by consultants, there will also be a formal four-week public exhibition period to provide final submissions to the document.
Typologies of the Neighbourhood Character Study
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Connector
The Connectors typology includes areas along key roads that play a major role in the street network, including roads that act as gateways in and out of the township.
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Township - Established
The Township - Established typology features an intimate and walkable suburban character with an openness afforded by infrequent street tree plantings.
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Township - Foothills
The Township - Foothills typology forms part of the original or established residential development of the township, located on slightly sloped terrain.
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Lifestyle - Neighbourhood
The Lifestyle - Neighbourhood typology contains discrete pockets of development located on the outskirts of the town centre, scattered amongst the established residential areas.
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Lifestyle - Foothills
The Foothills Lifestyle typology is characterised by undulating topography and frequent long-range views across the valleys.
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Rural Setting
The Rural Setting typology is characterised by a feeling of openness afforded by large rural living style lots with considerable stretches of cleared land.
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Bushland Setting
The Bushland Setting typology includes residential areas spread up the alpine valleys within a mix of pastoral and forested settings. The surrounding valleys are seen within the street through filtered views of mature tree canopies.
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Mixed Use
The Mixed Use typology is characterised by the presence of commercial uses in residential zoned land and areas that are located adjacent to town centres or along major roads.
