MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire have unanimously backed a proposal for stronger regional cooperation on environmental and planning protection for Melbourne’s green wedge councils.
At the 12 May council meeting, councillors voted in favour of establishing a new regional advocacy alliance aimed at giving councils a stronger voice on environmental and planning issues.
The “Green Wedge Councils Planning Alliance” would see Melbourne’s 17 green wedge councils come together for coordinated advocacy and information.
The motion, moved by Cr David Gill and seconded by Cr Max Patton, also included the release of a progress report on the shire’s Green Wedge Management Plan 2019.
Councillors were in agreement that annual updates should continue “so any outstanding action items can be considered for funding and/or resourcing as part of council’s annual budget process”.
Green wedges are non-urban areas surrounding Melbourne that were established to create a buffer between urban development and rural land.
Gill said green wedge land is extremely valuable to the peninsula and requires regional cooperation to protect it. He said he was impressed by the officers’ report and the suggestion for yearly reviews.
“This is a great report,” said Gill.
“It talks about how we manage the green wedge, how we protect the green wedge, how we live within the green wedge and have liveability in the green wedge whilst we still look after all the environmental factors and other parts of this that are so concerning to people that live here.”
As part of the motion, all green wedge councils will be invited to co-sign a joint letter to the Minister for Planning “urging prompt implementation of the actions outlined in the State Government’s Planning for Melbourne’s Green Wedges and Agricultural Land Action Plan 2024 in consultation with all 17 green wedge councils”.
“Councils speaking with one voice to state and federal government really gets traction that we can’t achieve alone,” said Patton.
“Despite 17 councils across 12 green wedge areas all facing exactly the same pressures and all fighting the same battles and losing and winning some, there’s no unified voice.”
Patton also noted the growing amount of application for places of worship in green wedge spaces and said he believes it is a result of elevated land prices in urban areas.
“I think it’s so important that we advocate as a group of councils to stress that when state government is rolling out these growing suburbs they need to specifically plan for places of worship within new developments to help mitigate this issue,” said Patton.
This decision reflects increasing concern among councils regarding the future of green wedge areas and long-term planning pressures across Melbourne’s outer regions.
“Annual council budgets processes in the green wedge, that’s where the problem is,” said Gill.
“Hopefully, we can overcome those problems and look at the future of the Mornington Peninsula when we consider budgets and consider why we have the green wedge and how valuable it is.”
If adopted by the other councils, the Green Wedge Councils Planning Alliance could play a key role in future debates around urban growth, agricultural land protection, and environmental sustainability across Victoria.
First published in the Mornington News – 26 May 2026
