WHITTLESEA: Council calls on Minister
The City of Whittlesea voted to write to the State Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny seeking significant consultation with Council and the community on the Government’s key housing reforms.
Councillors were briefed on a range of State Government initiatives designed to increase housing supply and improve affordability.
The reforms set a target of building 800,000 new homes across the state in the next decade.
Whittlesea Council’s submission on Plan for Victoria contained 45 recommendations, ranging from improved transport links such as delivering Wollert Rail, better bus services and the E6 freeway, to incorporating better sustainability outcomes in new developments, such as more tree planting and integrated water management.
The Council recommended setting social housing targets based on the needs of each municipality and called for larger developments to include a minimum of 15 per cent of affordable housing.
Victoria’s Housing Statement identified Epping as one of 10 activity centres in which an additional 60,000 homes will be built within a decade.
The Epping Activity Centre is a key location for employment, housing and health, retail and education services, supporting more than 10,000 jobs and 4000 residents.
The Council requested that the Epping Central Structure Plan be the basis for the new city centre.
The Council requested further time to allow for community consultation and the newly elected Council to understand, test and make a submission on the proposed planning controls.
Councillors sought to seek assurance that Council could provide expert input into the development of the proposed reform.
Whittlesea Mayor, Cr Aidan McLindon, said: “The State Government has announced a number of major planning reforms and we need to be confident these changes are carefully considered, thoroughly tested and will not have unintended consequences..
“It is critical that growing communities are supported with the infrastructure they need such as public transport, parks and community facilities.
“We want to ensure the government is consulting not only with councils but also the community as we work together to meet the current and future housing needs in our communities,” Cr McLindon said.