“When will Council be undertaking a comprehensive review of its planning scheme (as opposed to the Council Plan)? Will council be holding full public consultation on such a review?”
The Mayor read Council’s response. He said:
“Council will undertake a review of its planning scheme once the State Government has completed its comprehensive review of both the State and local planning policy frameworks. The State Government review will help to guide Council’s future planning scheme review.
Other Councils are also awaiting the completion of the State Government review before undertaking their respective planning scheme reviews.
Council will undertake public consultation of the next planning scheme review in accordance with the requirements of the Planning and Environment Act 1987.”
From the above response it is clear that it will be at least another year or so before residents see any attempt to address the anomalies and inadequacies of the current planning scheme. Whilst public consultation is mentioned it is also worth pointing out that the Planning and Environment Act 1987 simply states that councils are obliged to undertake ‘regular reviews’ of their respective schemes. Consultation is not mandatory or even mentioned in the Act. If consultation does eventuate, then the extent, form, and nature of that ‘consultation’ is totally in the hands of Council. Then of course, council is only obliged to ‘consider’ what residents state.
The claim that ‘other council are also awaiting the completion’ by the State Government is open to debate. Bayside is at this very moment reviewing its scheme. They are not ‘waiting’. Below we feature some of these ‘other councils’ who from the time of the introduction of the new zones (July 2013) have either started, or completed their reviews. The list is impressive.
http://www.bayside.vic.gov.au/caring_for_bayside/bayside_planning_scheme_review.htm
http://www.monash.vic.gov.au/haveyoursay/planning-review/index.htm
http://www.yarracity.vic.gov.au/DownloadDocument.ashx?DocumentID=11381
https://www.campaspe.vic.gov.au/hardcopy/112123_194033.pdf
http://www.moreland.vic.gov.au/building-and-planning/planning-policy/moreland-planning-scheme.html
http://www.wangaratta.vic.gov.au/services/planning/Strategic-Planning-Projects.asp
http://www.colacotway.vic.gov.au/page/Page.asp?Page_Id=4571&h=1
http://www.pyrenees.vic.gov.au/What_We_Do/Planning/Strategic_Planning_and_Major_Projects
http://www.mountalexander.vic.gov.au/page/page.asp?Page_Id=1996&h=0
What also needs to be pointed out is how the following councils either are in the process, or have reviewed their Housing strategies in recent times. This is in stark contrast to Glen Eira’s 1996 and 2002 efforts!
http://www.whitehorse.vic.gov.au/hanc.review.html (2014)
http://yoursaydarebin.com.au/darebin-housing-strategy/faqs (2013-14)
http://www.ballarat.vic.gov.au/pbs/city-strategy/ballarat-strategy.aspx (November 2014)
http://www.greaterdandenong.com/document/27580/greater-dandenong-housing-strategy-2014-2024.
https://www.maribyrnong.vic.gov.au/Files/FINALMaribyrnongHousingStrategy1101205.pdf. (2011)
http://www.cardinia.vic.gov.au/Page/Page.aspx?Page_ID=3081&desc=Housing_strategy
http://www.knox.vic.gov.au/Page/Page.aspx?Page_Id=3863 (2015)
http://www.casey.vic.gov.au/building-planning/strategic-planning/housing/Frequently-Asked-Questions
Glen Eira Debates 
April 12, 2015 at 12:16 PM
I stand to be corrected but I don’t know that Labor has said a word about reviewing the policy frameworks to such an extent that delay is warranted. They’ve said they will take another look at Plan Melbourne (keeping most of it), change vcat to take account of objections, and to have another look at the residential zones. None of this sounds as if there will be wholesale changes and waiting for a year or two before looking at the planning scheme is literally saying ‘we like things as they are’.
April 12, 2015 at 3:36 PM
D. Evans – Ignorance is bliss. Learn more before giving your judgements which are not called for. Read about State governments, vcat and the ways before and after elections. You must be a babe from the woods.
April 13, 2015 at 11:19 AM
Andrews and Labor’s pre-election platform was to review how the zones were brought in and not the zones themselves. Fisherman’s bend will probably change and not much else. They will fiddle with plan Melbourne and keep the basics as already announced. Hardly a radical revolution in planning for the state.
April 12, 2015 at 10:19 PM
Thank you Jamie, your a very predictable troll
April 14, 2015 at 12:01 PM
But when was the last Review done, and who did it? Was the 2010 Review the last one done? Has the Minister determined a longer period between reviews than the statutory requirement in LGA 12B(1)(a) [which specifies within 12 months of the date by when the Council Plan must be prepared and approved—30 June 2013 in this case]? And why is Council so keen to preserve the status quo? So many questions, so little information forthcoming from Council. It’s almost as if they don’t believe in transparency, accountability, or community engagement.