Background

Supported by its beautiful natural surroundings and largely rural settings, the Macedon Ranges is home to a large cohort of horse enthusiasts, active club participants and facilities.

As outlined in this draft Plan, there are 21 equestrian clubs with just over 1,000 active members in 2023, based at 12 public and private venues. Participation data shows that the Macedon Ranges has one of the highest participation rates in equestrian recreation activities in Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Victoria.

While there are a number of existing facilities across the shire, there is an increasing demand. With no current overarching plan guiding the development of equestrian facilities in the shire, the Macedon Ranges Community Equestrian Facilities Plan endeavours to provide a clear roadmap for recommendations, responsibilities and potential investments to prioritise into the future.

Initial stakeholder and community consultation was conducted in 2023, with key stakeholders and the broader community given the opportunity to share what they felt was important to them in relation to existing and potential future equestrian facilities. This feedback - which included just over 440 survey responses - has helped to inform the draft Plan, which is now seeking further community feedback.

What are we consulting on

Council is seeking feedback on this draft Plan and its content, which aims to:

  • provide detailed background about the current state of play for equestrian facilities across the shire
  • provide clarity around the roles and responsibilities of Council, user groups and others in relation to equestrian facilities
  • support the equestrian community in the Macedon Ranges, through clear guidance on potential future investments.

Feedback received during this consultation period will be considered by officers and tweaks made to the Plan where appropriate, to finalise and target its adoption as soon as practical at a future Council Meeting (noting that the upcoming Council Election period may delay this Plan being finalised).

Have your say

Download and view the draft Plan below, and fill in the brief survey further down this page to provide your feedback before the closing date of Thursday 22 August 2024.

Privacy collection notice

Macedon Ranges Shire Council is committed to protecting your privacy. The personal information you provide through this consultation is being collected for the primary purpose of attribution alongside your feedback for record-keeping or validation purposes (where we may require proof of residency for example, to ensure the validity of localised feedback) and to enable two-way communication where appropriate, to keep you updated in relation to this consultation.

Where required, the personal information being collected will be provided to Macedon Ranges Shire Council staff or contractors, to help inform feedback and enable them to communicate with you in relation to the consultation where appropriate. If the personal information is not collected, we will not be able to contact you in relation to your feedback and may not be able to consider your feedback if localised feedback is required. Personal information is required to be de-identified in any public summary of feedback, such as a summary provided as part of a future Council Meeting report.

Your personal information will not be disclosed to any external party without your consent, unless required or authorised by law. If you wish to gain access to, or alter any personal information you have supplied through this consultation, please contact Macedon Ranges Shire Council via phone (03) 5422 0333 or email mrsc@mrsc.vic.gov.au. Information provided will be stored in accordance with Council’s Record Management Policy and destroyed in accordance with the Public Records Act 1973.

You can access our Privacy Policy on Council's website, and it is available for inspection at Council’s customer service centres.