From page 8 of the Melbourne Racing Club Annual Report – http://secure.melbourneracingclub.net.au/news/2011MRCAnnualReport.pdf
Council decided upon a further period of community consultation before passing a resolution at the end of April to recommend adoption of the Amendment, with only minor alteration to the original proposal. This led to the formal announcement of the approval of the $1 billion dollar development at Caulfield on 28 June.
The Planning Scheme Amendment for the mixed use Caulfield Village development allows for up to 1,200 – 1,400 residential apartments, up to 20,000 (square)m of office space and approximately 17,500 (square)m of retail shopping, food and beverage outlets. Caulfield villege is to be situated on five hectares of land adjacent to Caulfield Racecourse. Approximately 2,000 car parking spaces will be provided within the development.
In taking the project to the marketplace, the Club is seeking expressions of interest from premier developers and investors within Australia and Internationally. This will be a two stage process, with expressions of interest being taken until early January, after which the Club will then narrow the candidates down to a preferred short-list.
In some ways the project is only now about to commence and works will be staged progressively over several years. I would like to expressly thank the development Team led by Brian Discombe for their outstanding work in delivering this approval.
Prior to the development of Caulfield Village, the Club will review Members’ car parking arrangements. As previously advised, Members’ car parking facilities will be relocated to three key areas – the Guineas Car Park, the newly expanded Kambrook Road Car Park and the Centre of the Racecourse, which will have dedicated reserved Members’ car parking.
COMMENTS
Finally, the truth is out! The ‘plan’ submitted by the MRC and passed by the gang was, and is, a work of fiction. Please note the following:
- The sudden increase in both office and retail space
- The sudden increase in potential apartments – now up to 1400 units
- The use of the centre car parking as a “dedicated” members carpark – in other words, a public carpark suddenly becomes a private “members” carpark!
- What does “approximately 2000 carparks” mean? – 1950 for 1400 units? Or 1850 for 1400 units? Or maybe just 1000 car spots? Your guess is as good as ours!
- We can only conclude that nothing which has been put before the public is set in concrete. That the MRC will change, adapt, and manoeuvre however they choose and with the probable full complicity of Glen Eira Council!
Glen Eira Debates 
December 30, 2011 at 9:04 AM
There’s one single line here that sinks Council spin once and for all. The public was told that Council had “set limits”. The MRC tells us that their plan was received with open arms and that there were only some “minor alterations”! The “minor alterations” (presumably the 20 storey height restriction) will also go I suspect when the MRC tries to cram another 200 units into the site.
December 30, 2011 at 9:33 AM
Ah Glen Eira you missed a salient point in your quotes of the MRC Annual Report. That is “Council decided upon a further period of community consultation before passing a resolution at the end of April to recommend the adoption of the Amendment, with only minor alterations to the original proposals”. Close to three years of negotiations and our self- touted skilful negotiators only manage to get minor amendments. How the MRC must be laughing.
This Council (especially Hyams, Lipshutz, Esakoff and Pilling) has a hell of a lot to answer for over C60.
December 30, 2011 at 10:35 AM
You guys keep on banging away on C60, the four councillors only did what they could to keep themselves [Glen Eira] in the game, any other strategy would have seen them dealt completely out, and C60 would have been totally in the hands of their best mates in State government level.
Councils hands have been tied from the year dot on all racecourse issues, any revolt by council would have symbolic, futile, and in the end self-defeating for all residents.
Lets hope in this climate on shrinking bank leading, the powers to be will not be able to raise the funds to steamroller this extravagant capitalistic venture.
December 30, 2011 at 4:28 PM
The new Chairman of the MRC is a Merchant Banker both of the rhyming slang and occupation variety. He’ll run rings around our sloppy administrators and Councillors. The residents of Caulfield North have no hope.
December 30, 2011 at 4:47 PM
10 years ago the median house price in Caulfield North was 10% above Malvern, now it is 15% below. Thanks Mr Newton. At this rate and with the Caulfield Village monstrosity, Cranbourne is better value.
December 30, 2011 at 5:52 PM
I doubt the truth is out. What has been revealed is the MRC’s longer-term ambitions, which may or may not be part of a secret deal struck between all stakeholders other than the community. We’ll never know, that being the nature of secret deals. [Remember, Andrew Newton declared various negotiations with the MRC to be “confidential”.]
It is quite possible that the MRC knew from the outset that they wanted more than what is contained in the Incorporated Plan, but were advised for political reasons to tone things down in order to get C60 off the ground. Now that C60 has been adopted, they can start to dribble out the real plans.
C60 makes a number of changes to Glen Eira Planning Scheme, such as establishing a new Priority Development Zone, PDZ2, incorporating the Caulfield Mixed Use Area Incorporated Plan into GEPS, and removing 3rd party appeal rights under loosely prescribed circumstances. Contrary to popular opinion, there are no height restrictions. There are “preferred maximum heights” along with building envelopes for various areas. Should the MRC wish to go outside of that building envelope they would need to apply for a Planning Permit, which would be subject to the usual notice and 3rd party appeal rights. It’d slow things down (maybe), but you wouldn’t bet against them getting everything they want at VCAT.
Until we see the Development Plan, we don’t know how closely it adheres to the “vision” contained in the Incorporated Plan. The MRC probably don’t know either, and won’t know until after they have chosen a developer. All negotiations with the “responsible authority” can be done in secret.
What the Incorporated Plan reveals is that the MRC has determined what they can fit *at a minimum* within the building envelope. Subsequent planning work, and maybe adjusting the mix of dwelling sizes downwards, could well allow them to squeeze in more dwellings. There is in principle a car parking requirement, but that’s easily waived via VCAT. Despite statements like “a use must not detrimentally affect the amenity of the surrounding area”, VCAT is free to ignore anything contained in GEPS. 2000 carpark spaces is only an approximation because the MRC doesn’t know how many are “required” under the formula contained in GEPS, or what they will be obliged to provide. I fully expect the development to grow beyond the current envelope, because it’ll be worth the MRC’s while to fight aggressively at VCAT and they can leverage their “old boy” network which spans both sides of mainstream State politics.
The revelation “centre of the racecourse, which will have dedicated reserved Members’ car parking” is news to me. I’m not aware of a Planning Permit being granted, but it could be part of yet another secret agreement. Neither Council, MRC, nor the Member for Caulfield David Southwick is available for comment.
BTW Council’s hands are *not* tied on C60. They were subject to some constraints (the pathetic Planning and Environment Act) but were otherwise free to apply sound planning principles. Since they can’t afford to provide all required infrastructure there or anywhere else in the municipality, and the State Government keeps telling us it doesn’t have the money, along with being too busy shafting nurses and bashing protesters, we’re heading for yet another mess.
December 30, 2011 at 6:37 PM
THE cENTRE OF THE RACECOURSE PLAN FOR US COULD BE CALLED THE HARD-PIP OF THE RACECOURSE… ABOUT 15%