The State Government has just released another $8.3 million to assist Councils and the private sector to ‘drive growth and change in activity centres’  through the Expert Assistance Program. The money available through grants is designed to provide: “specialist expert advice to assist councils to finalise and implement structure plans for principal, major and specialised activity centres in metropolitan Melbourne. This is in addition to the provision of specialist expert advice to assist councils to finalise and implement structure plans for Principal, Major and Specialised Activity Centres in metropolitan Melbourne”.

Not only is hard cash available, but the necessary “knowledge and expertise that is hindering the completion or implementation of strategic planning or structure planning work.” Assistance is provided in the following areas:

· environmental planning
· statutory planning implementation
· development facilitation
· transport planning
· community consultation
· property development
· built form / urban design
· social planning
· public realm planning

Currently 40 councils are already the beneficiaries of grants – but not Glen Eira it seems. We can only wonder at the repeated opportunities this council lets slip by and the motives behind such actions. The results of the Planning Scheme Review have again shut out all possibility for long term strategic and comprehensive planning that would make Glen Eira eligible for any of the above. 

(All quotations come from the State government’s website: http://www.land.vic.gov.au/DSE/nrenpl.nsf/LinkView/7020B1BB206F6AC6CA2572FA00192772EB42DA4324DA309FCA2572E4000D84ED