A lakeside community for the Surf Coast Shire.

Buckley Village acknowledges the Wadawurrung People, and the Gulidjan and Gadubanud Peoples of the Eastern Maar, their Elders and leaders, as the Traditional Owners of the skies, land, waters, and sea country across the municipality in which Buckley Village is located.

A lakeside community
for the Surf Coast Shire.

Lake Modewarre

Buckley Village is a viable solution to the Surf Coast Shire’s housing crisis.

Located on the banks of Lake Modewarre and delivered through an innovative Non-For-Profit structure, Buckley Village will be a new community in the Surf Coast hinterland.

A community-centred project that delivers sustainable and affordable housing for future generations while preserving the region’s distinctive hinterland character.
<p>A quarter of our population is under 19 and without immediate action, these 9,524 children risk being priced out of their own community.</p>
25%

A quarter of our population is under 19 and without immediate action, these 9,524 children risk being priced out of their own community.

A crisis we can't ignore

The Surf Coast Shire is a place of unique beauty, tight-knit communities and an active lifestyle. Yet, like many regions across Australia, we face a growing challenge – ensuring everyone who lives and works here can continue to find a place to call home. 

Since 2020 housing supply has dried up, prices have jumped 60%, rents are up 33%, and long-term rental vacancies have dropped below 1% as they convert to short-stay rentals or permanent occupancy. Further, our region now has eight townships that are no longer able to accommodate growth, leaving Winchelsea as the Surf Coast Shire’s only long-term growth front.  

This housing crisis impacts us all. Local employers are struggling to find staff to operate their businesses, essential workers often commute for hours, and families face impossible choices. 

In 2021, the Surf Coast Shire Council declared an accommodation crisis and promised solutions. Council is now finalising its Urban Futures Strategy, intended to “provide adequate land supply for housing and employment through to 2051”.

This Strategy will shape housing decisions for the next three decades.

Whether you are a child aspiring to call this region home, a local business owner who needs workers, a student, a single parent, or one of the 25% of our community that are over the age of 65 who need a higher level of care; this Strategy impacts you.

Council is finalising a 30-year housing strategy, the Urban Futures Strategy, intended to “provide adequate land supply for housing and employment through to 2051”.

Does it go far enough?

Draft Urban Futures Strategy (UFS)

In collaboration with consultants Spatial Economics, the Surf Coast Shire Council has confirmed that existing infill and greenfield development opportunities across the Surf Coast Shire are insufficient to maintain an appropriate level of housing supply for our community. 

The draft UFS:

  • acknowledges an immediate need to increase the supply of land for residential homes. 

  • affirms Winchelsea as our region’s only long-term growth front, proposing an additional 3,000 homes within the township by 2051.

  • identifies high density infill development in our coastal fronting towns as a major source of housing supply.


With a median land value of $665,000, and median apartment/townhouse value of $1,065,000, our coastal townships can no longer provide housing that is affordable, and we ask if the 3,000 homes contemplated for Winchelsea will be enough to meet the long-term needs of our region? 

We commend Council for their foresight and action in addressing this critical challenge, but we ask if the Urban Futures Strategy should do more? The below attachments articulate why:

DRAFT UFS FACT SHEET

MACROPLAN PEER REVIEW

Given the Urban Futures Strategy will shape housing decisions for the next three decades, we cannot overstate the impact this policy has on addressing the accommodation crisis facing our region. 

The Urban Futures Strategy must be the solution, however there is growing concerns that it may fail to address the scale and urgency of our housing situation.

<p>If we want balanced housing options for the Surf Coast Shire community then we need to move beyond the traditional way of thinking.<br><br>So, we did…</p>

If we want balanced housing options for the Surf Coast Shire community then we need to move beyond the traditional way of thinking.

So, we did…

Managing housing supply and housing affordability while respecting regional character, protecting existing towns, and upholding environmental values is a multifaceted challenge with no easy solution.

Affordability

It is a common misconception that affordability is just a supply and demand equation: increase supply and the market will resolve affordability. 

Consider Winchelsea and Torquay; the value of a vacant parcel of land today is double what it was just five years ago. 

It is no one’s fault. The traditional housing supply model is market driven and incapable of maintaining housing supply at an affordable level.

Character

During Phase 1 of the Urban Futures Strategy community engagement, it was reported that Surf Coast Shire residents expressed a desire to preserve and enhance existing township character. 

We all know of examples where urban growth is not reflective of the regional character in which it is built. 

Again, it is no one’s fault. The traditional housing supply model is unable to mandate outcomes that respect existing township character.

This got us thinking… 

How do we balance our growth demands, housing affordability, and the character and environmental outcomes that we value?

<p>Delivered through an innovative Not-For-Profit model, focused on outcome over profit, Buckley Village will be a new community for the Surf Coast Shire.</p>

Delivered through an innovative Not-For-Profit model, focused on outcome over profit, Buckley Village will be a new community for the Surf Coast Shire.

Buckley Village

Buckley Village is being put forward as a complimentary solution to our accommodation crisis. 

A community-centred Not-For-Profit project on the banks of Lake Modewarre, in the Surf Coast hinterland, 20 minutes west of Geelong, Buckley Village will leverage existing transport links and natural assets to create affordable homes for families and workers - now and into the future.

The Not-For-Profit benefit

Our commitment to deliver Buckley Village using a Not-For-Profit model is based on the incredible work done by the Nightingale team, but on a scale that will allow us to reinvest over $500,000,000 back into community driven initiatives. 

There will be a board of community members that oversee the Not-For-Profit model and the delivery of affordable housing, housing diversity, financial assistance for better built form outcomes, environmental and water quality initiatives, social infrastructure, food production, renewable energy, social and crisis housing, and any other outcome deemed important by our community.

The opportunities are endless.

By repurposing poor-quality land, Buckley Village will deliver true housing diversity and affordability for our region. 

Buckley Village will:

  1. align with the Shire’s Urban Futures Strategy Key Principles.

  2. ease the growth burden on existing townships.

  3. mandate design guidelines on all homes to preserve the distinctive hinterland character we all know and love. 

  4. allocate 30% of the project land to greenspace and biodiversity re-establishment.

  5. be entirely self-funded.

Words on a website give no justice to our Vision. Please download a copy of the Buckley Village Placebook for a deeper dive into what we’re proposing:

Buckley Village Placebook

Buckley Village is underpinned by six key principles

Group

Affordability

Buckley Village’s Not-For-Profit model will address housing affordability directly by offering discounted land to support a diverse range of demographics, including various age groups, permanent and temporary residents, income levels, cultural backgrounds, and household sizes.

Group 2

Employment

Alongside new waterside amenities, essential community assets such as childcare, healthcare, education, retail, and sport precincts will be introduced within a vibrant modern town centre, creating sophisticated year-round employment opportunities, and eventually connected via the re-establishment of the Buckley train station.

house

Character

Buckley Village will preserve the region’s distinctive hinterland character through strict planning and design guidelines, controlling outcomes such as dwelling design, landscaping, setbacks, etc. A diverse mix of accommodation typology will ensure that this new community caters for all demographics.

lake

Lake Activation

The restoration of Lake Modewarre’s health, feed-in waterways, and Aboriginal cultural heritage will revitalise the lake into a dynamic community hub, featuring a boat ramp, jetty, and a landmark hotel with lake views, complemented by unique local hospitality venues and waterside amenities, enhancing tourism, local businesses and community pride.

Group 3

Key Worker Accommodation

Affordable housing is crucial for key workers, including healthcare professionals and emergency services personnel, as well as seasonal and travelling workers essential to tourism, given the growing population in the Surf Coast Shire.

Group 4

Environmentally Sustainable Development

Buckley Village is sited on poor quality non-agricultural hobby farmland, with low fire and no flood risk. The project will be underpinned by environmentally sustainable development practices, ensuring it supports long-term ecological health while meeting the needs of the growing community.

Frequently Asked Questions

The price of housing across the Surf Coast Shire is now at prohibitive levels and housing options are diminishing; families and workers are being priced out, small businesses are struggling, and the next generation are leaving to pursue work elsewhere; collectively, this is called the housing crisis. The traditional housing supply model will not address our housing crisis, but Buckley Village can.
We have made a commitment to deliver Buckley Village using a Not-For-Profit (NFP) model so we can prioritise community outcomes over development profits. Development-ready land (2024 pricing) trades at a cost base of around $130,000 per residential allotment. Buckley Village has been secured at a fraction of this price which means over $500 million in surplus development proceeds can be deployed to tackle our regions housing crisis through discounted land, social and crisis housing for the region, and build-to-rent accommodation for key workers.
Formerly called Laketown, Buckley Village is positioned on the banks of Lake Modewarre adjacent to the Princes Highway and Geelong-Warrnambool train line, 20 minutes west of Geelong, Wadawurrung land.
This isn’t our decision. We have secured sufficient land to create a village township of around 3,000 homes supported by a retail high street, education facilities, healthcare, a jobs precinct, and 30% parks and open space. There is a planning process that Buckley Village will go through to determine its make up, including an extensive community engagement phase. The size of Buckley Village will be a collective decision between our region’s key stakeholders.
Yes, we should. The Buckley area has been specifically chosen because the Woodward Clyde Soil Quality Index puts Buckley region as "average" (3 out of 5 for soil quality) which is low for this region. While the area was historically farmed/cropped, it is now mostly rural lifestyle allotments and food production and remnant biodiversity is low or non-existent. Buckley Village will set aside 30% of land area to ecological improvements and biodiversity.
This new community will be designed to mirror the Surf Coast Hinterland’s regional character that we know and love. Good Urban Design will control estate presentation, and mandatory Design Guidelines will control private built form and landscaping. These elements are designed to avoid urban style development that is common in the growth areas of Melbourne and Geelong; there’s nothing wrong with urban style development, but it is not reflective of Surf Coast Hinterland character.
Buckley Village township will be self-funded, and those financial partners will receive a return. Ample will receive an industry standard management fee for managing the approvals and delivery of the project, no different to any other consultant on the project. None of these stakeholders will have ownership in the project or receive profit distributions though, as the assets will be held for the benefit of the community in the Not For Profit structure, and a board of community members will be elected to oversee the distribution of surplus development proceeds in line with the constitution.
Winchelsea has existing infrastructure and Council has been clear that Winchelsea will play a role in accommodating growth in our Shire. However, Winchelsea’s existing infrastructure is insufficient for even moderate growth, and requires augmentation. For example, Barwon Water has advised that sewerage and potable water services in Winchelsea are at capacity and any growth in Winchelsea is going to require a complete rebuild of sewerage and water services. Our region needs to plan for significant long-term growth, Winchelsea is a fantastic location to accommodate some growth, but Winchelsea cannot do all the heavy lifting alone.
Advocating for less growth is certainly an option, and we’ve considered it at length. Where we landed is that population growth is driven by migration, which is decided at a Federal Government level, and is driven by the labour force demands of our country. The reality of Australia’s situation is that we need to grow our working age population (people aged 15 to 60) to support an aging population and to maintain our way of life. Less migration means less workers which has larger consequences for Australia than unaffordable housing. Importantly, 25% of the Surf Coast Shire population is under the age of 19 and it is our responsibility to provide the opportunity for some of these 9,526 children to remain living in their communities. The challenge is complex and multifaceted, and not as simple as slowing population.
Let’s be clear: growth presents environmental challenges, but we also have a responsibility to deliver homes for current and future generations. Our focus to is on ensuring growth happens sustainably and Buckley Village offers a model to achieve this.
Our contractual agreements require the land to be purchased by a Not-For-Profit entity.
Lake Modewarre has a long and rich history. Historically, Lake Modewarre was a vibrant hub of biodiversity and recreational activity, featuring an active fishing club and an operational boat ramp. However, in recent times, the lake has fallen into neglect. During the 1990s, community-based action programs emerged to address these issues, aiming to restore damaged environments and raise awareness about the problems and their solutions. Buckley Village will work with existing stakeholders to further these efforts.
In reality, Buckley is not a new township. Buckley, once called Laketown, has been in existence in a European sense since the mid-1800s with a school, a train station, two churches, tennis courts, and even a pub. Before European settlement, Buckley played a key locational role for Wadawurrung community. We have many townships across the Surf Coast Shire, and historically we have relied on them all to provide some growth. Now eight of those towns are heavily constrained and can no longer accommodate any growth. The reimagination of Buckley fills this gap.
Buckley Village will not happen without community support

Our ability to function as a thriving community is underpinned by an adequate supply of housing that is affordable to all demographics. This provides a future for our children, employees for our businesses, stimulates our economy, and in turn strengthens our community.

Buckley Village is our solution to our regions housing crisis, but it will not happen without community input and support. 

In May 2025 we will hold a series of town hall information sessions to articulate the challenge and ensure the solution reflects our shared values, to:

  • preserve the Surf Coast Shire's unique character.

  • deliver affordable homes to retain our youth and key workers.

  • create jobs and opportunities that benefit the entire Shire.

  • protect our regional towns.

Join the conversation

We invite everyone, including young families and essential workers, to join us in shaping a sustainable future:

  • MODEWARRE – Moriac Community Centre, Tuesday 20 May @ 7pm

  • WINCHELSEA WARD – Eastern Reserve, Community Bank Room, Wednesday 21 May @ 7pm

  • OTWAY WARD – Anglesea Memorial Hall, Thursday 22 May @ 10am 

  • TORQUAY WARD –Torquay Surf Life Saving Club, Sunday 25 May 2025 @ 2pm

The finalisation of the Surf Coast Shire Council Urban Futures Strategy is imminent, and its implications will ripple through generations.

Directly or indirectly, this impacts you, and now is the time to take transformative action and prove what’s possible when communities lead. 

Please join the conversation. Connect with the team, find out more and have your say.

Register

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