Councillor Garry Thompson said giving the planning minister control over such projects was “a wolf in sheep’s clothes” that could pave the way for a slew of inappropriate developments.
Loading
The council also lashed out at the government’s “completely unacceptable” inclusion of Camberwell Junction among its first batch of precincts targeted for increased density,arguing it “falls well short of community expectations to be involved in planning for the future of their local areas”.
Boroondara has told the government to back off and let the council see through its own recently released development plan for Camberwell Junction,which has a more modest housing target of 1500 new homes in the precinct by 2051.
Boroondara residents rose more than a decade ago against government agency VicTrack’s attempt to build aseven-storey apartment buildingon government-owned land next to Camberwell train station.
The council’s plan,which is out for consultation,proposes four- to six-storey height controls for the same site and heights of up to 12 storeys elsewhere in Camberwell Junction.
“Encouraging higher density housing within the centre will help to protect nearby residential areas which cannot absorb this level of change without detrimental impact on amenity and valued character,” the draft plan states.
Boroondara said it opposed the government’s decision to give residents the freedom to build secondary homes – or granny flats – on their properties without a planning permit,raising concerns about neighbourhood character,amenity and car parking.
“This change to the scheme will attract significant interest from the community,and public consultation should be undertaken as the introduction of secondary dwellings will increase the intensity of sites within residential areas,” the council said.
Premier Jacinta Allan and Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny visited a house in Brunswick West on Tuesday morning to spruik the government’s granny flat changes,which will take effect next month.
Allan said many home owners with backyard space wanted to build a small second home there – including families who wanted to stay together as they grew older – but were put off by planning permit red tape.
“Many people have told us that going through that process can be very frustrating and indeed lead them to not building a small second home on your existing property,and from next month that requirement will no longer be needed,” she said.
Jonathan O’Brien,lead organiser for pro-housing-density group YIMBY Melbourne,said the council’s claim that granny flats would detract from neighbourhood character was “patently absurd”.
“Part of the reason that granny flats are being allowed by right is because they are low impact,” he said. “They are out the back of a property,they’re 60 square metres site coverage or less. They impact no one in a truly meaningful way.”
Loading
Christina Branagan,a Boroondara resident and heritage campaigner,said the centralisation of planning control was “a completely anti-democratic proposal”.
“Councils or local people may well at times frustrate or irritate those in power when they have to deal with our opinions and give us a seat at the table,but actually that’s fundamental to a democracy.”
A government spokesman said that by the 2050s,Melbourne’s population would be the size of London’s.
“The status quo is not an option,” he said. “Our bold reforms to the planning system will clear the backlog of decisions and streamline the delivery of significant development,increasing the supply of homes and giving industry greater certainty with a planning system that works for Victorians,not against them.”
Get the day’s breaking news,entertainment ideas and a long read to enjoy.Sign up to receive our Evening Edition newsletter.