Overview
Here you will find information about the land use study for the Latrobe Valley Regional Rehabilitation Strategy.
The study identified ways the final safe, stable and sustainable rehabilitated sites can support productive and high-quality land uses. A social history study has also been undertaken to inform the land use study.
About the Latrobe Valley Regional Rehabilitation Strategy
The Victorian Government is committed to progressing mine rehabilitation planning in the Latrobe Valley.
The Latrobe Valley Regional Rehabilitation Strategy (LVRRS) provides a blueprint to progress mine rehabilitation planning for the Latrobe Valley’s coal mines.
The LVRRS will guide the mine licensees, government and the community on a climate resilient transformation of the Latrobe Valley coal mines (Hazelwood, Yallourn and Loy Yang) and adjacent lands to safe, stable and sustainable landforms that will support the next land use.
The LVRRS has been delivered by the Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions in partnership with the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning.
Findings of the Regional Land Use Study were considered alongside findings from the geotechnical and water studies in developing the LVRRS.
The Latrobe Valley Regional Rehabilitation Strategy and related factsheets can be found at Earth Resources.
Preliminary Land Use Vision
As part of the Regional Land Use Study, a land use vision for the mine areas was released for community and stakeholder feedback in 2019. The Preliminary Land Use Vision identifies opportunities for land use change based on the following four themes:
- Tourism, Liveability, Recreation
- Industry, Business, Commerce
- Agriculture, Energy, Water
- Services, Education and Training.
All the themes were supported by a majority of respondents. Several submitters raised concerns about regional environmental impacts. Others noted the importance of energy generation, agriculture and recreational opportunities in the Valley.
View the Latrobe Valley Draft Preliminary Land Use Vision (PDF, 1.8 MB) or (DOCX, 1.5 MB) for further information.
Future land uses for the rehabilitated mine sites
The Latrobe Valley Regional Rehabilitation Strategy is not prescriptive. Land use opportunities for the rehabilitated mine sites remain open.
The LVRRS provides a blueprint to progress mine rehabilitation planning and activities and achieve safe, stable and sustainable landforms that support the next land use. Protection of people, land, and infrastructure will be an essential part of the rehabilitation planning. Land, soil and water conditions will need to be suitable over the long term for their intended uses.
Water use across the Valley and along the river system will influence the future land uses. The LVRRS seeks to ensure that existing water users and the environment are not adversely affected. The Latrobe River system currently supports a range of uses including urban water supply, industry, agriculture and natural systems. The Preliminary Land Use Vision identified opportunities which could exist post-rehabilitation and provide greater economic diversity in the Valley and region.
The implementation of the LVRRS, consideration of alternatives and the assessment of Declared Mine Rehabilitation Plans will allow for development of final land use frameworks.As the LVRRS is implemented, changes to state and local planning policy contained in planning schemes may be required. The progressive closure of mines may require new provisions different to the current provisions which provide for power generation and active mining.
Government has worked with Latrobe City Council and other stakeholders in developing the LVRRS. The strategy will inform planning and decision-making on strategic land use directions and guide more detailed precinct and site planning as the LVRRS is implemented.
Some of the land use outcomes which have been identified in the Preliminary Land Use Vision may not be feasible under all rehabilitation options or may only become feasible at later stages of the rehabilitation. Consideration of risks and hazards associated with land stability and fire risk will be part of the assessment of alternative rehabilitation options to ensure proposed beneficial land uses can be realised.
Project updates
June 2020: The final Latrobe Valley Regional Rehabilitation Strategy (LVRRS) has been released by the Minister of Resources and the Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions (DJPR). The LVRRS provides guidance to the mine licensees, government, the community and other key stakeholders on issues that need to be considered in planning for and undertaking rehabilitation of the Latrobe Valley’s coal mines.
May 2020: The consultation report for the Latrobe Valley Regional Rehabilitation Strategy Draft Preliminary Land Use Vision is now available for download under the ‘Documents’ tab above. Community and stakeholder feedback is now being assessed against other technical studies undertaken as part of the Latrobe Valley Regional Rehabilitation Strategy. Community and stakeholder views will help inform the final LVRRS.
December 2019: Working with local community members DELWP completed the 'Latrobe Valley Social History - Celebrating and recognising the Latrobe Valley's history and heritage' report. Digital copies are available to download within the 'Social History' tab above. Physical copies will be made available in the region's libraries.
More information
The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning has also undertaken a Regional Water Study to inform the LVRRS. To learn more about the Regional Water Study please visit Water and Catchments.
For further information, and to download the Latrobe Valley Regional Rehabilitation Strategy and related factsheets, please visit Earth Resources.
You can also contact the LVRRS Project Team:
Email: lvrrs@ecodev.vic.gov.au
Phone: (03) 5184 2000
Documents
All documentation relating to this project can be found here.
Latrobe Valley Regional Rehabilitation Strategy: Regional Land Use Study:
Latrobe Valley Social History
Further information on the LVRRS can be found at our partners’ websites:
Social History
Image: State Electricity Commission of Victoria 1949. Three Decades: The story of the State Electricity Commission of Victoria from its inception to December 1948. SEC, Melbourne.
DELWP has undertaken a social history study of the Latrobe Valley. This project gathered knowledge from representatives from the community, government agencies and the Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation.
The communities of the Latrobe Valley have been at the forefront of Victoria’s power generation now for a century. But how exactly have the Valley’s communities contributed to and experienced their changing landscapes, workplaces and sense of selves?
The study documents the social lives of Latrobe Valley communities over time to provide deeper insight into the connections between the Valley and its people, and of the history and heritage that have made each what they are today.
The social and industrial history of the region has been defined by agriculture, the impacts of immigration, manufacturing, timber production, power generation and the State Electricity Commission of Victoria. The importance of clubs, whether based around sport, ethnic background, religion or workplace, was a local value identified as at the core of a local identity. Such clubs have provided strong support networks through the Valley’s periods of upheaval and transition.
The social history is not a chronological study. Rather, it explores how the Valley’s inhabitants have historically experienced their setting through the themes of land and water, work and industry, and communities and how this has influenced their sense of identity.
The social history will be used to inform planning initiatives and place-making through the identification and interpretation of places of significance and historic themes of importance.