AND FROM HANSARD – 22/8/2017

Southern Metropolitan Region

Ms CROZIER

(Southern Metropolitan)

— My constituency question is for the attention of the Minister for Public Transport and it relates to the proposed 13-storey sky tower development at Ormond railway station. This is another secret development being undertaken by Daniel Andrews that the community had no knowledge of . Many residents have contacted me to voice their concerns about the sky tower and are also now asking for updated information regarding this proposed development . The government has provided little to no information regarding this project since a public hearing was held in early February of this year .

Following that hearing a report undertaken by the Victorian Transport Projects Advisory Committee was submitted to the minister as it is obliged to within 20 business days of the last hearing . Well, that was months ago.

My question to the minister on behalf of the many anxious residents within the area is: can she provide an update to the house on the proposed development and the details of the report, so that the residents of Ormond and the surrounding areas of Caulfield and Bentleigh understand exactly what was recommended to the Andrews government at the Ormond sky tower site?

++++++++++++

Plan Melbourne: Refresh

Mr DAVIS

(Southern Metropolitan)

— My matter tonight is for the attention of the Minister for Planning, and it concerns the City of Monash. On Saturday I was fortunate enough to attend a forum on planning in the City of Monash. A range of people were there who had very strong views about what is occurring in the City of Monash

. The recent changes that the government has made under Plan Melbourne: Refresh and the subsequent decision of the planning minister to put in place the VC110 planning scheme amendment have meant that a significant set of changes have occurred .

In municipalities like Glen Eira and neighbouring municipalities the increased density the government is pushing for very strongly — and that is its policy through Infrastructure Victoria and the stated comments of the Premier and the planning minister — will see neighbourhood residential zones with massive density occur on those blocks . The two -dwelling cap has been removed, and there can now be unlimited dwellings on those properties . But in the City of Monash there is less of that sort of planning overlay and protection, and it has mainly general residential zones . The government’s changes there have seen the increase in the minimum maximum height — if I can describe it that way— from 9 metres to 11 metres and an explicit allowance of  three storeys in the general residential zones

Some other municipalities face this challenge too . The Mornington Peninsula Shire and the City of Kingston are also areas where general residential zones predominate . There is a significant push now occurring, and a number of people related this to me closely at the forum that was held on Saturday of the weekend just gone . What we will see is a massive increase in density and a change to our suburbs.

What I am seeking from the minister is that he review VC110 and its impact and reverse some of these changes that he has put in place.

These changes clearly are going to change the nature of our suburbs . There is no sufficient planning behind it in terms of infrastructure, whether it is for traffic support, parking, schools, maternal and child health— I could go on.