Community feedback to inform next stage of Horsham Bypass Planning

Published on 24 June 2026

At its Council meeting on Monday, 22 June 2026, Horsham Rural City Council received an update on the Bypass Planning project.

Council noted that the community survey, undertaken to understand local views and priorities regarding a potential bypass, received 453 submissions prior to closing on 15 June 2026.

Horsham Mayor Cr Brian Klowss said the response demonstrated strong community interest in the project, with participation from a broad cross-section of the municipality.

“The survey attracted responses from residents, business owners, workers and farmers, with 57 per cent of respondents from urban areas and 43 per cent from rural areas,” Cr Klowss said.

Initial analysis of survey responses has commenced, with a detailed report to be provided to the Community Reference Group at its next meeting in July.

“While analysis is at an early stage, an initial observation is that 87.6 per cent of respondents indicated that a bypass is important for Horsham,” Cr Klowss said.

“Council also acknowledges that 6.3 per cent of respondents indicated that a bypass is not important to them.”

The survey sought feedback on a range of matters, including potential community benefits as well as possible impacts on residential properties, businesses, farming operations and other aspects of the municipality.

“The next stage of work for the Community Reference Group will be to further analyse the survey feedback, including understanding the reasons behind community views, and to develop objective criteria to assess the impacts of potential bypass routes,” Cr Klowss said.

Over the coming months, the Community Reference Group will develop and assess a range of bypass route options, informed by the survey results and supporting technical work.

“This process will take several months to complete, with draft recommendations expected to be available in late 2026,” Cr Klowss said.
“The community will have an opportunity to provide feedback on these recommendations before any decisions are made.”

Cr Klowss said community engagement would remain a central component of the planning process.

“Council is committed to ensuring that community views are considered at every stage of the project. The Community Reference Group and ongoing engagement activities are key to informing Council’s decision on a preferred bypass route for Horsham,” he said.