Featured below is what has been happening in McKinnon over the past 12 months. We have included several applications that council refused on the assumption that the developer will head to VCAT and instead of demanding 32 units for example, he will ask for 30 units. Given the current planning scheme, history tells us that a second bite at the cherry will be successful.
Please note:
- The map DOES NOT INCLUDE ALL PERMITS GRANTED SINCE THE ZONES WERE INTRODUCED – ie multi-development in Penang for example, or the current amendment for the corner of Wheatley and McKinnon Road. Nor have we included all of the countless 2 double storey developments in these side streets. We have only concentrated on the past 12 month decision making by council and/or VCAT.
- We estimate that during this time well over 300 new units will be on the cards – some already built, or in the process of being built. According to the planning scheme, Glen Eira requires only 600 net new dwellings per year to meet population growth. Thus a handful of streets in McKinnon alone have achieved 50% of the stated target for the entire Glen Eira municipality!
Residents should start asking the following questions and demanding concrete and honest answers from their councillors:
- What drainage upgrades have occurred in this area since the zones came in?
- When will council complete its structure planning for McKinnon and the other neighbourhood centres? Are residents expected to wait 10 to 15 years for this to occur according to the published schedule?
- Why is the current consultation on the ‘shopping strips’ emphasising the commercial strips, instead of first informing and then asking direct questions on development, traffic, open space, etc? What role did the consultation committee have in ‘devising’ this current consultation?
- How many one bedroom apartments have been built in Glen Eira over the past 3.5 years and how many 3 and 4 bedroom apartments?
- How many car parking waivers have been granted to all of the developments shown in the map below – and throughout all of Glen Eira itself?
- Why is council steadfastly refusing to review the zones themselves – especially since development is occurring far more in local residential streets zoned General Residential and Residential Growth rather than those areas zoned commercial and mixed use?
CLICK TO ENLARGE
Glen Eira Debates 
February 16, 2017 at 9:29 AM
I am shocked by the map. This is development gone crazy and council is letting it all happen. The zones have to change if McKinnon is going to be saved and remain a liveable and lovely area.
February 16, 2017 at 11:37 AM
Very few recent developments look like they are happening in McKinnon road itself. Much, much more is going on in the side streets that all happen to be zoned grz. To me this confirms the post’s claims that instead of focusing development in the actual shopping strips the vast majority is going into the side streets. That is untenable since many are very narrow, already have major drainage problems, and car parking facilities are non existent. Heritage areas and there are many in McKinnon and Ormond are surrounded by ugly three storey apartment blocks. It now looks like Adelaide street can join the demise of Claire street – all gone to the developers with council’s able assistance.
February 16, 2017 at 1:35 PM
As long as Hyams, Esakoff and Magee are on the Council they will cover up their party support for developers. The loophole of cutting a few apartments here, there and/or reduce a storey or two (similar to 8 storeys in Ormond which will never be accepted – as it is within the Commercial zone area) – the Councillors are ducking and refusing/amending applications knowing that the builders are cock sure the application will be approved by VCAT as the zones are a law. We put them on Council to protect our rights, but lo and behold, we are being run over. The only sensible thing left is a ‘class action’ on the grounds that the August 2013 Residential zones were prepared and implemented without consultation similar to many other issues raised in this blog.
February 16, 2017 at 2:26 PM
Those three are now a minority. It’s up to the new councillors to deliver on their election promises.
February 17, 2017 at 1:17 PM
Rubbish – The new councillors will never be able to deliver their election promises, they were just promises to gain votes. We, the resident are taken for rides. Party politics is the cause of GE’s destruction. They use council as a spring board to enter the state or federal government.
March 1, 2017 at 6:07 PM
I can assure you the new councillors do care very much. As a former candidate I got to know most of the newly elected and they are committed to doing what they can legally do. There are many complex issues involved and it won’t be easy for them to solve It’s not as easy as it should be or looks to be.
February 16, 2017 at 4:25 PM
Planning has been handed over lock stock and barrel to developers thanks to the admin and councillors.
February 16, 2017 at 5:28 PM
thanks to the PAST admin and some PAST and current councillors.
February 16, 2017 at 6:11 PM
Questions are great. Flooding is a real problem in Mckinnon and has to be fixed and we can’t afford to wait years and years until something is done about the overdevelopment.
February 17, 2017 at 9:59 AM
The map shows what council has done. All zoned general residential and some sitting nearly a km from a station. Not how its supposed to be.
March 2, 2017 at 9:19 AM
So apparently Glen Eira has an area of 38.4 square kilometres: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_Glen_Eira
600 new dwellings per year means 15.625 new dwellings per square kilometre per year.
How are we tracking with this, Glen Eira council?
March 2, 2017 at 3:55 PM
Please note that a far more accurate calculation would be to deduct all open space areas, all public utility zones, etc from the 38 square km that is Glen Eira. The reason is that the chances of parks being turned into residential or (before Ormond Tower and skyrail) public utility zones converting to residential would be minimal. Thus 2000 net new dwellings per year have to fit onto an area that is far less than 38km.
March 2, 2017 at 7:05 PM
Obviously. 15.625 is an average. Some areas (eg parks) would have no additional residents. Some areas would have more – maybe up to double that 15.625.
Even 31 additional dwellings per square kilometre bears no similarity to what is happening now. In the 190m stretch between 90 Mimosa Rd and 114 Mimosa Rd Carnegie (area approx 10,000 square metres, or 1% of a square kilometre), 6 dwellings are being removed and 100 added. An additional 94 dwellings this year. And within that stretch there are 3 consecutive blocks up for sale.
March 2, 2017 at 1:22 PM
Let’s look at some other numbers.
Glen Eira’s population is 146,303 as of 2015 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_Glen_Eira).
In order to increase this population by 10% in one year, you would have to add 14,630 people to the population.
This is 381 people per square km, or 3.81 people per hectare (100m*100m).
Is this what’s happening in your street??
Also ask yourselves for the above scenario:
Is the number of school places increasing by 10% every year?
Are medical services increasing by 10% every year?
Is public transport capacity increasing by 10% every year?