27th March 2015 Ratio Consultants
http://www.ratio.com.au/minister-approves-new-res-zones-for-moreland
Minister advises Moreland City Council of New Residential Zones approval
Amendment C153 to the Moreland Planning Scheme implementing the new residential zones was verbally approved to Moreland City Council by Minister for Planning Richard Wynne on 13 March.
The Minister’s decision has been made despite the recommendations of the Residential Zones Standing Advisory Committee, which were released on 20 June 2014.
The Standing Advisory Committee Report recommended that Amendment C153 to the Moreland Planning Scheme should not be approved and that Council should prepare a Housing Strategy to properly inform and justify the application of the new zones. According to the Committee, the strategic planning frameworks contained within the Planning Scheme, and the strategic work undertaken by Council in relation to the proposed Amendment C153, together did not provide the justification required for approval. Accordingly, it was recommended that residential land within Moreland be rezoned to General Residential Zone.
The decision to adopt and submit Amendment c153 to the Minister for Planning was made at the Council meeting on 10 December 2014. The version of Amendment c153 adopted by Council at the meeting contained revisions to the Schedules to the Zones and minor changes to the Zone maps.
The areas where the zones are to be implemented and the key features of the Schedules to the new Residential Zones are summarized as follows:
- The Neighbourhood Residential Zone (NRZ1) contains mandatory height controls that limit development to 8 metres and apply a density control of 1 dwelling per 250 square metres for developments of 3 or more dwellings on a lot. The NRZ1 has been applied to Residential land north of Moreland Road, west of Melville Road, Heritage Overlay Precincts and land more than 800 metres from an Activity Centre or Rail Station.
- The Neighbourhood Residential Zone 2 (NRZ2) contains mandatory height controls that limit development to 8 metres and apply a density control of 1 dwelling per 200 square metres for developments of three or more dwellings on a lot. The NRZ2 has been applied to residential land south of Moreland Road, east of Melville Road, areas within Heritage Overlay precincts and beyond General Residential Zone transition areas.
- The General Residential Zone 1 (GRZ1) contains a mandatory height control of 8 metres and variations to Clause 54 and 55 relating to landscaping and Private Open Space requirements. The GRZ1 will be applied to residential land north of Moreland Road within approximately 800 metres of Activity Centres and a Rail Station, Residential land south of Moreland Road and along the Melville Road tram corridor.
- The Residential Growth Zone 1 (RGZ1) and Residential Growth Zone 2 (RGZ2) contain mandatory height controls of 13.5 metres and 10.5 metres respectively. These do not apply if the height of development on abutting land is greater than 13.5 metres or if the land is within an endorsed Structure Plan that nominates a greater height for development on the site. Both of these zones have been applied to land within activity centres.
We advise that at the time of printing, the zones are yet to be gazetted.
Should you have any queries in relation to the amendment please contact our planning team on 9429 3111 or at mail@ratio.com.au.
Glen Eira Debates 
April 16, 2015 at 11:18 AM
Labor could be changing the playing field after all. Hats off to them. That leaves Glen Eira the very odd man out. Not a finger has been lifted to ameliorate the consequences of the new zones. Unforgivable.
April 16, 2015 at 11:43 AM
Our lot of councillors are sheep, sorry, sheep are smarter
yes sir, yes sir, three bags full, sir,
sound familar
April 16, 2015 at 2:16 PM
Staikos promised a planning review. He also promised to rebuild MacKinnon Sec. College. …… yeah….. Right mate.
April 16, 2015 at 4:04 PM
The bottom line is that other councils are getting off their backsides and have put in the effort to come up with decent and up to date planning strategies and up to date housing strategies. I reckon this is beyond our dictators for a couple of reasons. They are incapable, it would mean too much work, and naturally would not go down to well with their buddy developer mates.
April 16, 2015 at 6:03 PM
Sack Newton all good
April 16, 2015 at 10:02 PM
Bayside and Moreland have trumped Glen Eira totally and more will come out in the future no doubt. I am very taken by Moreland’s attitudes to their major “tram corridor” and the height set is a maximum of 8 metres. Glen Eira administration and Hyams were happy to sell out residents and declare miles of roads as suitable for 3 storey multi unit development. For me this shows a lack of foresight and the quick fix assumption and solution that every main road is the same and that they should all have buildings of the same height along their length. That’s planning madness. Glen Huntly Road in Elsternwick and East Boundary Road are not identical in any shape and form. The same could be said for every other road handicapped by such zoning.
The more I see and read what everyone else has done the angrier I become at how councillors have stuck their heads in the sand for years and let a handful of people with vested interests run the show completely.