At last council meeting this public question was asked –

At the May 19 meeting, Council agreed to provide a summary of outcomes of the final State Government’s Carnegie Activity Centre plan vs Council’s Structure Plan on Council’s website so changes would be clear to the Glen Eira community. With the release of the finalized plans for the Stage 2 Activity Centres last Friday, when will that Carnegie information be available and will Council provide similar detailed explanations for all the Stage 2 Activity Centres?

Answer:

Council placed an update to the Carnegie Structure Plan 2022-Amendment C237 webpage on 19th June 2026. This included information relating to the state led activity centre plan for Carnegie approved under Amendment C278. This update included changes to over shadowing controls between the two plans.

Now that the Stage 2 plans have been released, we will provide a more detailed summary of the differences between the State led activity centre plans and Council’s Structure Plans for Bentleigh, Caulfield and Glen Huntly by this Friday, 3 July. The state led plan for Elsternwick only refers to a range of heights associated with the Elsternwick Structure Plan. The plan does not illustrate how this height range is applied to different sites within the Elsternwick core. Therefore, a summary of the state led plan and Council’s plan for Elsternwick can only be prepared once further information is released by the State Government. To note, the final controls for Stage 2 activity centre plans are yet to be issued so there may be further changes Council is not currently aware of.

COMMENTS

We have repeatedly bemoaned the fact that this council is determined to keep its residents ignorant of the significance of changes made by the State Government and how these changes will impact all ratepayers across the municipality. When public questions have to be repeated ad nauseum, and the responses and ensuing actions fail to provide the information required then we conclude once again that the objective is to fully comply with whatever is handed down by government and to treat residents with disdain.

We have finally located the so called ‘summary’ referred to above and affecting Carnegie – buried deep within council’s website and unlike Bayside Council certainly not on the council’s home page. And instead of a detailed and comprehensive summary of what the changes actually mean, the only comment made is in relation to the new overshadowing requirements. Not a word about heights, setbacks, building separation, etc. Instead of patting themselves on the back that one overshadowing requirement has now become mandatory at the equinox, rather than the solstice, council totally ignores all the other important changes.

Here’s council’s interpretation of what truly informing residents means: Please also note the use of language and how deliberately misleading it is. For example: we are told that the government amendment C278 REPLICATES what council proposed with its original Carnegie structure plan. Dictionary definitions of the word tell us that ‘replicate’ means to ‘make an exact copy’. Nothing could be further from the truth in this instance!!!!!!!

Planning Scheme Amendment C278 

The Minister for Planning has approved Amendment C278glen (Implementing the Carnegie Structure Plan) which replicates the proposed council-led Amendment C237glen.  

Amendment C278glen implements the key strategic directions of the Carnegie Structure Plan 2022 as proposed by Amendment C237 but replaces the Design and Development Overlay Schedule 9 (DDO9) with Built Form Overlay Schedule 4 (BFO4). The new BFO4 has been applied to the commercial core of the Carnegie Activity Centre. This change to replace a DDO with a BFO was made by the Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) to give effect to the State Government’s Train and Tram Zone Activity Centres Program. 

The BFO was developed by DTP as part of their Activity Centres Program to provide opportunities to streamline planning assessments and support housing growth in and around activity centres. 

The Amendment approved by the Minister implements the Carnegie Structure Plan 2022 in relation to the main commercial core area. The surrounding residential was rezoned to HCTZ under the Activity Centres Program and does not form part of this Amendment. 

Amendment C278 deletes the existing Design and Development Overlay (replaced by the BFO) and also makes consequential changes to local policy within the Glen Eira Scheme. 

Some notable changes to the council adopted version of Amendment C237glen made by Amendment C278glen include: 

  • Appling mandatory equinox overshadowing controls to the Woorayl Street Reserve rather than mandatory winter solstice controls. (noting that the independent planning panel had recommended applying a discretionary equinox control rather than the mandatory winter solstice Council was originally seeking). The final decision to apply the mandatory equinox control is considered a reasonable outcome. 
  • Amend the wording to clarify that the overshadowing requirement for the active recreation space below the Skyrail immediately west of Koornang Road is a discretionary equinox control applying between 10am–2pm. 

Nothing in the above can or should be seen as an accurate summation of what has changed!

Here are some changes not even mentioned in this so called ‘summary’.

  • Building separation in one instance has gone from the original 9 metres to 6 metres for buildings over 28 metres
  • Setbacks that were previously mandatory for the heritage sites are now discretionary
  • Building heights in several locations have gone from 31 metres to 46 metres

Until we get an honest council that is fully committed to its residents and properly overseen by councillors nothing will change!

Finally, please compare the following two maps outlining heights. The first is from council’s structure plan and the second the government change –