Three northern suburbs councils will hold a joint meeting later this year to discuss their vision for “the new capital of the north”.
Whittlesea, Hume and Mitchell councils will meeting on October 3 at the Whittlesea council chambers to adopt a vision for the Cloverton metropolitan activity centre (MAC).
According to an officer’s report to the June 15 Whittlesea council meeting, the Cloverton MAC straddles the three council areas and will service 360,000-380,000 people.
According to the Department of Transport and Planning, a MAC is a higher-order centre intended to provide a diverse range of jobs, activities and housing for regional catchments that are well served by public transport.
These centres would play a major service delivery role, including government, health, justice and education services, as well as retail and commercial opportunities, the department said.
The report to Whittlesea council said the Cloverton Mac would service a population the size of Canberra, making it the capital of the north.
During the meeting, the three councils will be asked to consider writing to Premier Daniel Andrews and key state government ministers seeking a genuine partnership with the three councils to co-ordinate the future of Cloverton and for the area to be recognised for its state significance.
The meeting will be chaired by Hume mayor Joseph Haweil.
