Open space plays an important role in our society by providing places for exercise, quiet reflection, children's play and organised sports. As our communities grow and change, our planning tools need to adapt to ensure our open spaces meet our current and future needs.
Work is currently underway to develop a new Guide for Open Space Strategies (GOSS), which will operationalise the Open Space for Everyone strategic framework, and review and reform existing resources, including Practice Note 70.
Why do we need the GOSS?
The GOSS will address gaps in the current resource, such as self-determination and the impacts of climate change. Additionally, it will:
- Support best practices in developing open space strategies Victoria-wide
- Create a common language and approaches across open space land managers
- Share collective knowledge and use resources more efficiently
- Provide more robust guidance for planning panels to consider.
When will it be available?
We are currently in the development phase of the GOSS and anticipate it will be completed in 2024.
Existing resources
Two resources currently exist to improve open space planning. While the GOSS is in development, Practice Note 70 can be used in conjunction with the Open Space for Everyone strategy in the preparation of open space strategies.
In addition, Creating Liveable Open Space – Case Studies also helps the reader to better understand the strategic approach to planning open space and examine how existing open space can be managed more effectively. The tools also highlight the importance of innovation in open space delivery.
Open space plays an important role in our society by providing places for exercise, quiet reflection, children's play and organised sports. As our communities grow and change, greater attention must be placed on planning our open spaces to ensure that they meet our current and future needs.
Practice Note 70 – Open Space Strategies
An open space strategy is an approach for planning the current and future uses of open space in a municipality.
Practice Note 70 provides guidance to councils on how to prepare an open space strategy.
This note includes reasons for preparing an open space strategy and the possible input and outputs.
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Open place strategies (PDF, 290.5 KB)
Open place strategies (DOC, 87.0 KB)
Creating liveable open space
Showcasing a number of innovative approaches to deliver new open space assets, these case studies demonstrate how open space can be reclaimed from existing roadways, quarries and drainage reserves. It also includes examples of new ways of working in partnership across government and with local communities.
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Page last updated: 13/09/23