Council has released its structure plans for Bentleigh, Carnegie & Elsternwick. No sign of Virginia Estate. There is also the abysmal Urban Design Guidelines – replete again with pretty pictures and nothing beyond ResCode or what already exists for the NRZ.

However, residents need to be very, very concerned about one of the recommendations in particular. It is repeated verbatim for each of the structure plans. In case some readers don’t grasp the significance of what follows we want to make it absolutely clear –

  • Section 20(4) of the Planning & Environment Act means NO OBJECTOR RIGHTS, NO INPUT BY THE COMMUNITY. Council simply sends off its proposals to the Minister and he then rubber stamps or doesn’t rubber stamp. If this is voted through, then we don’t even get to see the documentation!
  • It is simply unconscionable that this council is recommending that controls be put into place (regardless of whether they are ‘interim’ or not) without any consultation and without providing residents the opportunity to object and go to a planning panel.

Then as if to provide the illusion that this council is totally committed to community consultation we find this recommendation from the Urban Design document.

Once something is gazetted (as with the first recommendation) the chances of it changing are Buckley’s. If council is so committed to listening to their residents then there is no reason to apply under Section 20(4) of the Planning & Environment Act. This is just more of the same dirty tactics that has become endemic in Glen Eira City Council. We also doubt that any councillor will have the guts to knock back these recommendations!

Whilst we have literally only scanned the hundreds and hundreds of pages released today, we urge residents to carefully consider the following:

  • No mandatory height limits proposed
  • Council considers it okay for 8 to 12 storeys abutting public open space
  • No real changes from ResCode – when council has the right to change the schedules
  • Not one iota of quantifiable data and justification for 12 storeys, nor for doubling the sizes of activity centres
  • Persisting with high rise car parks that cost a fortune but with no figures or budgets provided
  • No inkling of which neighbourhood centres are next in line!

We could go on and on, and will in the next few posts. But this is another example of rule by unelected bureaucrats and has nothing to do with community views and aspirations.!!!!