by Keith Anderson
Retaining quality of living is a key consideration by Baw Baw Shire Council with the number of houses in the shire to double under a state government plan for the next 25 years.

Last year the government set a target for Baw Baw to have 25,800 extra houses as part of its plan for 2.24 million new homes to be built in the state by 2051.
A quarter of them will be in regional areas.
Baw Baw Shire's planning and development director Luke Connell said council was working with the government and agencies to understand and deliver the government's vision.
"We understand that additional housing is needed across Victoria but, with the shire's population continuing to increase, we need to ensure we have the infrastructure and services available to keep up with the growth," he said.
When announcing the target last year the government said it would provide funding for planners and resources to help regional and rural councils meet the targets.
Elaborating earlier this month, Premier Jacinta Allan and Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny said councils would be held accountable for meeting their targets.
"There'll be consequences for those that have no interest in doing so and the minister will retain the power to intervene and fast track development including unlocking space for more homes through rezoning," they said.
The premier and minister also announced a new townhouse and low-rise code to "turbocharge" the approvals processes.
The application will be deemed to comply if it complies with the code and third party appeals cannot be made to VCAT.
They said VCAT appeals were stifling the new, low-rise, good quality home building that fits in well with communities and didn't detract from local character.
In addition the average time for assessment of a planning permit in Victoria was 145 days and, if a decision was appealed at VCAT, the average time frame from lodgement to hearing was 175 days, Ms Allen and Ms Kilkenny stated.
The response from Mr Connell to The Gazette did not answer the question asked about whether existing Precinct Structure Plans and town plans would need to be amended and if current agricultural land would need to be rezoned for housing to meet the government's new homes target for the shire.