A large part of the rural upper Merri catchment has been identified as an 'Investigation Area' for Melbourne's new Urban Growth Boundary (UGB). The State Government has announced that one of the developments in this area will be a $350 million interstate freight terminal for the Donnybrook/Beveridge area, an initiative of its "Freight Futures" strategy (external link).

The State Government's "Melbourne@5 million" report is an update of the 2002 'Melbourne 2030' planning report. It is based on the premise that Melbourne's population is likely to reach five million before 2030. This is considerably more than the 2002 'Melbourne 2030' report which projected a maximum of 4.6 million by 2030.

'Melbourne @5 million' proposes expansion of the outer Melbourne Urban Growth Boundary to accommodate new dwellings and employment areas. Areas to be considered for inclusion are designated as ‘investigation areas’. Detailed planning in these Investigation Areas will identify the final location of the Urban Growth Boundary.

One of the designated Investigation Areas is the "Hume-Mitchell-Whittlesea Growth Area" which takes up much of the Merri catchment outside the current Urban Growth Boundary. In Whittlesea, the focus will be on areas to the north of Epping North. In Hume a major focus of investigation "..will be on areas in northern Hume and southern Mitchell Shire to take advantage of the existing road and rail corridors and major opportunities for new employment and freight/logistics functions". The inter and intra state rail lines and the Hume Highway run north-south through the Investigation Area and the State Government's freight and logistics strategy "Freight Futures" proposes the development of an interstate rail terminal in the area Donnybrook/Beveridge area. Late last year, property developer Delfin indicated interest in developing a large new residential suburb, 'Lockerbie', between Kalkallo and Beveridge, should the Urban Growth Boundary be expanded.

The Merri Creek bisects the Investigation Area. The creek corridor and environs encompass areas of national, state and regional significance. These include volcanic plains grasslands, grassy woodlands and riparian and wetland environments and critical habitat for nationally significant species such as Growling Grass Frogs and Golden Sun Moths. Relevant parts of the draft Merri Creek & Environs Strategy 2008-2013 provide overviews of biodiversity , geodiversity , and details of values in the headwaters to Craigieburn section.

The extent of the investigation area in relation to the Merri Catchment is illustrated on the map to the right. To see the full Investigation Area in detail click here (pdf 1.89MB).

To illustrate the conservation needs and potential of this area, the Friends of Merri Creek have developed the Merri Conservation Network Concept (external site). Click on the link (above) to find out more about the Merri Valley: Nature on Melbourne's Northern Doorstep.