About the Solomon Heights Precinct
The Solomon Heights Precinct is a subdivision located in Sunshine North, bounded by the Melbourne to Sydney freight line to the west, Baldwin Avenue to the north, Munro Avenue to the south, and Vermont Avenue to the east.
The Precinct was originally created as a residential subdivision in the 1920s and rezoned to industrial in the 1940s. It has remained undeveloped and unserviced since the 1920s and includes 433 privately owned lots.
There are a range of issues that impact the Precinct including:
- it contains critically endangered flora and fauna species
- it is impacted by a number of Overlays and buffers which restrict land use and development
- it has limited road access.
On 19 November 2019 a judgement was made on the Supreme Court case known as Glen Ora Estate Pty Ltd v Brimbank CC in relation to the roads in the southern part of the Precinct.
- Read the decision: Supreme Court Judgement (PDF 623 KB)
- Download the Map of Solomon Heights Estate Southern Section (PDF 232 KB)
Council received a report about the Precinct at its Ordinary Meeting on 10 December 2019 which included the following points:
- Council acts as the Responsible Authority and Planning Authority, and does not have a role in leading any development proposal for the Precinct
- Council is not currently seeking to change the Industrial 3 Zone that applies to the Precinct
- Council will continue to advocate to Federal and State Governments, and other entities, about the environmental values of the land and the need to achieve an appropriate outcome
- Council is pursuing the development of Industrial Design Guidelines with the intent that a planning scheme amendment is prepared to incorporate these into the Brimbank Planning Scheme. These would be used to assess future development applications in industrial precincts.
- Council will consider private proposal/s about the roads in the northern part of the Precinct, and any other private proposals it may receive, and commission further advice, subject to budget approval, to facilitate this consideration.
- Council will continue to engage with government and other entities about Solomon Heights, and opportunities associated with planning for the Sunshine National Employment and Innovation Cluster and Sunshine Priority Precinct.
The Brimbank Council Plan 2021 – 2025 included an action in year 2 to ‘complete a conservation reserve feasibility study for the Solomon Heights Precinct’. Council remains committed to continuing its advocacy to the Federal and State Governments and other entities to achieve an appropriate outcome to protect environmental values of the Solomon Heights Precinct.