Council has stated that the draft Housing Strategy will be up for decision on November 2nd (a Wednesday instead of Tuesday since this is Cup Day). Residents need to bear in mind that on the first appearance of this draft strategy 4 councillors were opposed to its adoption. Sadly, 5 voted in favour so the document went out for a bogus ‘consultation’.
The most startling component of this first draft is the admission that Glen Eira has capacity for 50,000 new dwellings on current planning scheme zonings out to 2036 and beyond. All we actually need according to State Government projections are 13,000. Yet council is determined to pack more and more development into Glen Eira regardless of whether or not it is needed, whether the infrastructure will cope, and whether our tree canopy will diminish even more rapidly with the removal of the mandatory garden requirement in ALL sites zoned GRZ and the 3000+ NRZ sites that will have increased site capacity, reduced permeability, and removal of rear setbacks.
No other council operates in the manner that Glen Eira does. What follows are quotes from recent Housing Strategies from these neighbouring councils. When these comments are contrasted with what Glen Eira proposes, then serious questions require answering. We will get to these later. Here is what others state:
BAYSIDE
The Housing Strategy Review 2019 found that Bayside’s growth locations have sufficient housing capacity to meet anticipated population increases over the next 15 years to 2036 as required by State planning policy. (PAGE 4)
The Housing Strategy identifies locations where housing growth can occur. These locations have sufficient housing capacity to meet the anticipated increases in population to 2036. (PAGE 6)
Should further housing capacity be required in the future, a future review of the Housing Strategy can consider other locations that may be suitable for increased housing density in addition to those already identified in the Housing Strategy. This approach allows Council to direct and manage growth in the short to medium term. (PAGE 7)
HOBSON’S BAY
The housing capacity assessment conservatively estimates that Hobsons Bay has development sites/opportunities to provide a net gain of approximately 16,281 dwellings. Based on estimated housing demand of 443 new dwellings per annum (over the next 20 years), this represents around 37 years of supply (PAGE 4)
Based on the housing capacity assessment identified in this report, there is enough capacity/housing opportunities in Hobsons Bay to comfortably meet expected housing demand over the next 20 years )PAGE 140)
It is expected that the strategic redevelopment sites alone could accommodate more than half (52 per cent) the total forecasted dwelling demand by 2036 (PAGE 140)
YARRA RANGES
At the current development rate, approximately 560 dwellings per year, this tells us about 31 years of land supply is available in the existing residentially zoned land. The figure also shows land capacity will easily meet the State Government’s target of 10,700 new dwellings in Yarra Ranges over the next 15 years or approximately 700 dwellings per year. Even if development rates increased, there is still capacity within the existing residentially zoned land to accommodate development. (discussion paper 2022 – page 39)
YARRA
The housing capacity analysis indicates there is enough capacity within Yarra’s activity centres to accommodate sufficient housing growth. The analysis confirms that, while Yarra’s established residential neighbourhoods will continue to accommodate some housing growth, Yarra does not need to rely on these areas to supply projected housing growth (page 65)
THE QUESTIONS
- Incompetence and/or complicity? All planning should stem from a Housing Strategy. Council knew it had to develop a Housing Strategy as far back as 2019. Instead this council has instead introduced structure plans BEFORE a housing strategy. That amounts to incompetence. As for the ‘complicity’ aspect, it appears that whatever the department (DWELP) says is accepted. No public outcry to speak of; no media releases criticising government; no support for residents. It also doesn’t help when we have the likes of Athanasopolous, Magee and Zhang blindly following government policy instead of representing their constituents – which is the first priority of a councillor.
- Consultation Feedback in Full. The refusal to publish ALL feedback achieves nothing except greater skepticism and mistrust of council. It also flies in the face of council’s ‘transparency’ policy.
- Why is Glen Eira so radically different to our neighbouring councils? Historically, this council has been the odd-man out on so many strategic planning occasions – the last to have a Housing Strategy; the last to complete structure plans; the last to have a significant tree register; the last to have a fair-dinkum notice of motion. The list goes on and on. Until councillors fulfill their obligations as representatives of the community, the culture will not change. The onus is on councillors to reject this Housing Strategy and order that it goes back to the drawing board!
Glen Eira Debates 
October 22, 2022 at 9:43 AM
The quotes from other councils shed a lot of light onto the inadequacies of Glen Eira. Hobsons Bay and Yarra both highlight their residential areas which will basically remain untouched because of they presumably have other industrial or redevelopment areas to concentrate on. Glen Eira works in reverse by focusing on the residential areas and completely ignoring huge developments in Caulfield station and East Village. These two combined will provide the conservative total of around 7,500 apartments. That’s more than half of what’s stated as required and completely ignored in the housing strategy.
October 22, 2022 at 10:42 AM
Weird other councils can say we’re not touching residential areas because we’ve got capacity for plenty and our pathetic mob say density and capacity are irrelevant and we need more dog boxes.
October 22, 2022 at 10:56 AM
Shouldn’t the focus be on increasing open space by making the earmarked redundant Caulfield hospital site a park rather than building Mount Scopus Caulfield campus?
October 22, 2022 at 3:06 PM
Sorry but that is not a Council decision. The hospital is a State responsibility as are schools. And Caulfield Hospital is not redundant – it should be a priority for the State government to rebuild a brand new major hospital here for the residents.
October 22, 2022 at 3:08 PM
Incompetence and/or complicity? or corrupt!
October 22, 2022 at 3:10 PM
If I can suggest the difference here in Glen Eira is that the Council is trying to influence WHERE new development will occur while keeping 80% of the city untouched. Glen Eira has more than enough “capacity” for new housing – however it is seeking to determine where that should take place – unlike other councils mentioned above, where development of new housing is unconstrained. The contentious issue for councillors is “can we actually influence the property market to build smaller and more affordable housing?”
October 22, 2022 at 3:49 PM
I’m afraid that you are dead wrong in some of the statements you’ve made here Cr Zyngier. The other councils have had structure plans in for ages. Their zones are set. So their development is not “unconstrained”. Add to this that Glen Eira is intending to introduce a new NRZ schedule that will reduce residential amenity in our streets, then I don’t see how you can say that this is to keep “80% of the city untouched”.
October 22, 2022 at 4:06 PM
Jeff thanks for your comments above. Based on the extracts from the various councils above I cannot see any reference to “zones” apart from Bayside’s “growth locations”. Glen Eira has those also. The issue of the new GRZ is as I wrote above the idea is “contentious” because as councillors “can we actually influence the property market to build smaller and more affordable housing?”
October 22, 2022 at 5:21 PM
Sorry to say but you are again incorrect. Bayside’s housing strategy says several times that their residential zoning will not change. In addition they have heaps of individual grz zones which means they have looked very carefully at the entire council area and not like Glen Eira that from memory has only 3. Adding everything up they’ve got more nrz areas than Glen Eira but don’t think its necessary to butcher their city. Housing growth can be accommodated primarily in their development sites and commercial areas. They have done the work necessary unlike Glen Eira.