Council has finally put up its responses to the questions asked at the Elsternwick Zoom Meeting. The document may be accessed via this link: https://www.haveyoursaygleneira.com.au/81078/widgets/391968/documents/248250
We ask residents to pay particular attention to the following question and the ‘answer’ –
What justification is there for 8-12 storeys?
Elsternwick is growing and there is demand for new dwellings and employment space into the future. State planning policy directs growth to activity centres. The draft Structure Plan aims to balance growth with protecting heritage and other characteristics valued by the community. While there are areas proposed to allow 8- 12 storeys to accommodate some of this growth, taller built form is restricted to a small part of Elsternwick, close to the train station and Nepean Highway. At the same time, the draft Structure Plan is proposing a considerable amount of down zoning from 4 storeys to 2, to protect residential heritage. Most of Elsternwick is proposed to remain low-scale.
The claim that the decision to allow buildings of 8-12 storeys is ‘restricted to a small part of Elsternwick, close to the train station and Nepean Highway is not only inaccurate but wilfully misleading – especially when this statement is compared to the actual proposed heights along all of Glen Huntly Road.
It’s clear that a vast amount of sites will now be liable to accommodate a DISCRETIONARY height limit of up to 12 storeys! And many of these sites are nowhere near Nepean Highway or even the train station. Which leads to the most important questions:
- When will council have the courage to call a spade a spade?
- When will councillors insist that spin and obfuscation are not the hall marks of every single council pronouncement?
- When will residents stop being treated as idiots unable to understand anything about sound strategic planning?
Glen Eira Debates 
December 12, 2022 at 3:47 PM
So there you have it. They didn’t bother justifying 8-12 storeys. What they argued for was an increase in density, but that’s true for the entire municipality. They ignored the amenity impacts of height with negligible setbacks and they ignored their past practice of failing to assess against the lamentable Apartment Development standards. They also failed to clarify that it is the State Government who defines what is an “activity centre”, and the State Government has defined them to be just a list of suburb names. Sadly, it is up to the public to put pressure on Councillors to ask questions on our behalf. Why did council staff fail to justify 8-12 storeys? What changes to standards, policies and practices are required before Council ensures new developments provide reasonable amenity for both new and existing residents, that infrastructure won’t be unreasonably exceeded, and that all development activity is self-funded, meaning it pays for itself–not placing a financial burden on Council? Council has failed to meet the objectives of planning Victoria, objectives such as fairness. If they have no idea what fairness means, then it is time to resign.
December 13, 2022 at 9:51 AM
Correct. The question asked for justification of 12 stories. No answer given to this. Growth doesn’t have to be in towers of this height.Now with 13 stories being built the next developer comes along and tries for 14 or 15 stories.