About the Staughton Vale | Anakie Action Group

Bacchus Marsh Grammar (BMG) was told to refrain from 'staging' new developments at its Staughton Vale Road campus, but it keeps coming back with new attempts to increase students, buildings and traffic.  This time BMG is bypassing normal planning laws. Here's our backstory since 2015

When will BMG give up?

This year's Bacchus Marsh Grammar proposal to upscale its Staughton Vale site is consistent with its original business model which was knocked back by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) in 2015. (BMG has similarly gradually increased the size of its Maddingley and Woodlea campuses.)

In 2015 BMG lodged an application for a permit with City of Greater Geelong (CoGG) for a Primary and Secondary School for up to 1300 students. 

At that time, at a site meeting with BMG, residents were told that the 'sweet spot' for this type of school was actually in excess of 2000 students. 

As a result of significant resident concern - which led to a CoGG review and a VCAT hearing - the permit was limited to operations that fit within the agriculture-based requirement of the site's Farming Zone overlay. BMG was also required to limit the size and scale of development to comply with other overlays, zoning, Strategic Planning requirements and community expectations. 

One of the key wins of the residents' fightback in 2015 was a requirement to ensure that the permit was of a size and scale that fitted BMG's stated purpose: that the land was to be used for a "small agricultural-based school".

'Staging' knocked back

In 2015 BMG was also required to remove all references to 'staging' in its proposal to ensure that it would not try to increase the size of the development at a later time.

After a herculean effort locals effectively negotiated an appropriate ‘rural and environmental campus for 60 to 210 students' with a stipulation that BMG could not try again to reach their 2000+ student target.

The 2015 application was approved with amended plans including:

• smaller and less prominently located buildings on the site
• transport by bus only via Granite Road, 
• landscape management plan, 
• education plan, 
• buffer zone to National Park

All way better than the original application.

2022: BMG tries again....and gets more

In September 2022, BMG raised another permit application with CoGG which was approved.  Although this approval restricted daily student numbers to 150 it added an arrangement that allowed the college to have up to 450 students on the campus 16 times a year. This meant that on those 16 days up to 450 students plus teachers and other staff can be on the site.

This is clear evidence that BMG was 'staging' its approach towards growth in direct contravention of the requirements set by VCAT back in 2015.

More information about the journey over the past ten years can be seen on our Facebook page.  BMG's communication, consultation and care for our community had not improved

2026: BMG goes direct to the Planning Minister

Bacchus Marsh Grammar has now applied for a significant increase in student numbers and expanded built structures on the property at 155 Staughton Vale Rd. By going direct to the Minister they will by-pass normal planning laws that should be applied through the City of Greater Geelong. 

Using a new 'omnibus' fast-track arrangement, the Planning Minister is not required to heed any previous agreements or stipulations that may apply to 'staging' even though this latest effort undoubtably contravenes VCAT's ruling on not coming back for more!

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