Encourage investment to improve the economy and create local employment while at the same time preserving the green wedge.

Encourage sustainable, diversified and productive agriculture, access to markets and the right to farm.

Recognise the contribution of hobby (or small-scale) farming in the green wedge with supportive policy put in place.

Recognise and support the sustainable management of the equine community in the green wedge.

Encourage growth in the visitor economy through regional promotion and facilitation of new visitor experiences consistent with Nillumbik’s economic, social and environmental characteristics.

Encourage growth in professional services and home-based business.

Encourage government to make reliable mobile phone and internet access available across the Shire.

Finalise and implement a new Nillumbik Economic Development Strategy.

Engage with and support the existing business base across the shire to promote local economic growth.

Undertake stocktakes of environmental assets and agricultural activity and practices, including hobby farming, that need to be protected for the future and the pests that need to be managed by sourcing information from formal research bodies and landowners. Seek government funding assistance to establish and maintain this data base into the future for landowner information, program prioritisation and policy development.

To ensure that land remains available for agriculture, use the Nillumbik planning scheme to encourage consolidation of smaller agricultural lots in common ownership and discourage the further fragmentation of agricultural lands.

Consider policy and land use options to allow agricultural enterprises to diversify income sources by supporting complementary activities such as farm gate sales, events, education and accommodation.

Continue to support sustainable land and animal management and access to markets by providing education programs, promotion, events and innovative partnership solutions.

Advocate to the Victorian Government that:

• planning and other controls be altered to allow landholders a right to farm on pre-existing cleared agricultural land and be able to adapt to changing agricultural practice
• the support and promotion of supplementary rural business activities such as farm gate sales, farm stays and other low environmental amenity impact enterprises which are consistent with green wedge values need to be prioritised and
• the role of hobby farms be defined, recognised and policy and program be developed to support sustainable land management and agriculture at their scale.

Finalise and implement a new Nillumbik Equine Strategy.

Review and update Council’s Destination Management Plan to:

• improve awareness of the benefits of cycle tourism and mapping information
• invest in digital interpretation of heritage, cultural and natural assets
• develop tourism through trail investment
• develop festivals and an events attractions plan
• build on the arts and cultural product through development of curated content and packaging
• add to the food and wine offerings by facilitating diversity of product and infrastructure
• manage and avoid detrimental on sensitive environmental areas
• increase strategic marketing and promotion and
• improve and develop products suited to family experiences.

Create an investment attraction plan and investigate innovative land use solutions to attract professional services to locate within the townships of the green wedge.

Identify and document areas of low mobile and internet connectively and black spots. Identify opportunities to rectify areas affected.

Understand the demand for co-working spaces in Nillumbik and facilitate the needs of home based business through township and activity centre plans and community hubs.