It is becoming increasingly obvious that this council is not working for residents. Its major beneficiaries have been, and remain, developers. Nowhere is this more apparent than in its latest strategies, namely, the Open Space Refresh and the appallingly named City Plan.
The outcomes that will eventuate from such policies will only further assist in encouraging more and more development to the detriment of residents.
OPEN SPACE
Councilors were patting themselves on the back at the last council meeting proclaiming how wonderful an 8.3% open space levy was. Admittedly, this is an increase on the current 5.7% levy. The question that residents need to ask themselves is whether or not an 8.3% levy is sufficient to meet the open space requirements of this municipality. It is not!!
Why is council opting for this sum when other councils such as Monash and Darebin are currently seeking 10% and municipalities such as Yarra are also contemplating up to 10%. In terms of existing open space, both Monash and Darebin have far more than Glen Eira. They are also much larger with Monash being 80 square km compared to Glen Eira’s 38.7 square km. The rate of multi unit development in Glen Eira is also outstripping what happens in these councils. Yet, Glen Eira sees fit to ask for much less. Why? Surely the only feasible answer is that they do not want to put too much of an impediment in the way of developers! Residents’ needs for open space is second to facilitating more development!
Here are the proposed amendments from these other councils:
CITY PLAN
Here’s another policy that leaves much to be desired and is an insight into the shoddy strategic planning that has been endemic in Glen Eira for decades. With no up to date, genuine housing strategy, with no real activity centre strategy worth the name, council has been forced to do another slap dash, one size fits all ‘refit’. If planning had been done properly years ago we would not be in the position we are in now.
Nowhere is this ‘one size fits all’ approach illustrated more clearly than in the proposed five storey height limit for our local centres. Each centre is treated as if they are identical and all will be allowed to have 5 storey discretionary height limits. No thought has been given to the differences that exist between each local centre in terms of surrounding residential areas, transport, amount of commercial space, etc. All are treated as identical! Again, this is not planning. It is policy without strategic justification.
Once again Glen Eira stands in the shadow of how other councils go about their planning. Bayside for instance in its Amendment C126 had this to say about its local and neighbourhood centres:
Only when councillors stop endorsing such poor planning will they be doing their mandated jobs of proper oversight. Thus far they have failed dismally.
Glen Eira Debates 
February 16, 2020 at 5:13 PM
With some luck none of this will be settled before the elections. New community minded councillors will give it the boot. That should be their election promises if they want to get voted in.
February 16, 2020 at 7:10 PM
With GE’s ongoing inability to cope with anything planning or just about anything else in a professional way. It may be time to split GE into 3 or 4 parts and amalgamate the bits with the surrounding councils. There seems to be no possible end or even light at the end of the tunnel to council’s overall dysfunction. The CEO seems to live a daydream bubble, and the councillors are so sectarian by nature their outcomes through the chamber are rarely in the best interests of residents. Glen Eira is a failed council much like a failed failed State or a failed corporation, and needs to be rescued and the sooner the better.
February 17, 2020 at 2:24 AM
Isn’t it a strange fact that only a year or two ago two ratepayers were criticized for doing their best to have a greater open space levy (by council which included most of the current councillors) and now they think they will resolve the situation after granting permits to so many developers with lower open space requirements. It really looks as though they think they’ll pull the wool over ratepayers by recommending a more realistic figure with the election just around the corner.
Also the intended public survey will again be taken and of course filed away until it is forgotten about… and most ratepayers will foolishly think it will to a changed Glen Eira Plan.
February 17, 2020 at 5:04 PM
Best question stated in the post is why other councils see fit to ask for ten percent and Glen Eira thinks that 8.3 is enough.
February 20, 2020 at 9:57 AM
Council previously decided 5.7% was enough, although few believed them at the time. Now they think 8.3% is what is required. “This will ensure that future development contributes a fair proportion of the value of the open space projects included in the draft OSS Refresh”. Which means that all the development activity that has taken place since Melbourne 2030 was first imposed on us has NOT contributed a fair proportion. Exactly as Council and State Government intended.
February 20, 2020 at 10:11 AM
Residents should make sure the open space levy raised is spent on the purchase of new open space, and not disappear into building program of over-priced pavilions, that only a few residents and lots of non residents will get the exclusive use of. As usual leaving the vast majority of residents on the outside looking in.