Keeping it Liveable Labor s Plan for Your Community
LABOR S PLAN FOR YOUR COMMUNITY Our built and natural environments define our quality of life. Victoria s towns, cities, streets and suburbs are unique. But they are our inheritance. We must preserve them, not tear them apart. We have a responsibility to protect our heritage and maintain our liveability. Development is important, but it must improve our communities, not weaken them. Under the Liberals, Victorians have lost confidence in the planning process. Every skyscraper s approval from the Minister s office, every decision made behind closed doors, every zone amendment that threatens our iconic natural and built assets, and every VCAT determination that ignores the voice of the community puts the fairness of the process in jeopardy. Locals feel like they have no say. Labor will give the community back its voice, so we can preserve our reputation as the world s most liveable city. Wind tunnels, congestion and forests of towers can t be Melbourne s new hallmarks. Labor will protect our heritage and take a responsible, consultative and long-term approach to planning. Because it s our responsibility to pass on Victoria s liveability to our children. HOUSING The Liberals have done nothing to fix housing affordability. Labor will pilot the use of inclusionary zoning as a new affordable housing initiative for land sold by the government for development, requiring a share of new construction to be affordable to first home-owners and low income families. Housing accessibility is important for our ageing population. Labor will improve domestic building regulations for seniors and people living with a disability, considering the need for minimum door widths, slip-resistant tiles, low or no-step entries and ground floor amenities. These are inexpensive measures if planned in advance. 2
YOUR RIGHTS Labor will increase your protection from home building malpractice and curb inappropriate short stays. We will ensure residents get a say in how their communities are being shaped, by depoliticising planning and restoring the community s faith. Labor will consider the establishment of an Office of the Building Rights Advocate funded through the Victorian Building Authority to be the guardian, protector and advocate for building industry consumers. Labor will also appoint an independent panel to recommend ways to improve the regulation of CBD residential buildings, so property is protected from unruly short stay parties. OPEN SPACE Labor will preserve rivers and open spaces, for the health of our future generations. Labor will also make health a consideration in urban design. New design principles will encourage physical activity through walking, cycling and public transport use, helping people live healthy lifestyles. Labor will lock down the boundaries of Melbourne s green wedges protecting 6000 jobs in the horticultural and agricultural industry, and establish an independent panel to strengthen the management of Kananook Creek an important recreational and environmental feature for locals in Frankston and Carrum. Labor will introduce a Yarra River Protection Act to guard the river corridor from inappropriate development. A new Trust will develop standardised planning controls for the Yarra, and work with agencies to promote the river s amenity and significance. Labor will also save the Healesville Freeway Reserve from developers. 3
MELBOURNE Under Labor, the Victorian Planning Authority working with the Victorian Government Architect and the Melbourne City Council will consider all applications for developments above 25,000 square metres. There will be public guidelines ensuring that developments enhance rather than trash Melbourne s liveability and planning applications, permits, plans and reasons for decision will be publicly available. Labor will also inquire into regulations for neighbourhoods near Major Hazard Facilities to preserve residents safety while allowing industries to operate and grow. Liberal anti-jobs policies have ground the wind farm industry to a halt. Labor will restart the industry and support thousands of jobs by reducing the dwelling buffer zone for wind projects from 2km to 1km and open the doors for community wind farms in the Macedon Ranges. STATEWIDE Under the Liberals, regional Victoria is missing out. Labor will give the Victorian Planning Authority a clear responsibility to deliver for Victoria s regions. It will be renamed the Victorian Planning Authority and it will work to promote development and jobs while protecting the character and heritage of our great cities. HERITAGE Melbourne s heritage value is under threat. Labor will review the Heritage Act to protect our built heritage. 4
NEIGHBOURHOODS Labor will conduct an independent review to understand what went wrong with the Liberals residential zone changes. The review panel will consider protocols for best practice consultation and the appropriate role of the Minister, councils and the community in the planning process. Locals feel they have no say in the future of their own neighbourhood. Labor will also amend the Act so that, where appropriate, the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) must take into account the weight of community opposition to planning proposals. Labor also has plans for specific neighbourhoods: Williamstown Woollen Mills Matthew Guy ignored recommendations for a 25 metre mandatory height limit at this development. Now, a 36 metre tower threatens to dominate the area. Labor will support council and the community, ensuring the remaining 60 per cent of the development complies with recommendations. Fishermans Bend This development is a disaster. Forests of towers with no height limit and no plan for services, schools and open space will cause chaos and congestion. Labor will recast the development into a series of distinct neighbourhoods, allowing Victorian planners to showcase best practice urban renewal. This will be done by a dedicated office within the Metropolitan Planning Authority. Punt Road A 50-year-old easement hovering over 140 properties on Punt Road, from Union Street to Alexandra Avenue, gives locals no control over the fate of their own homes. Under Labor, an independent panel will review the easement and help determine its future. The full report will be public. Boral Landfill Locals are worried about a proposal to expand the Western Landfill in Deer Park but under the Liberals, they aren t getting a say. Labor will call in any application by Boral to expand the Western Landfill, to give locals the voice and the certainty they deserve. 5
NEIGHBOURHOODS Macedon Ranges Inappropriate development risks destroying the area. Labor will legislate to protect this iconic and historic region promoting jobs by protecting the natural beauty of the Ranges and preserving its environmental and rural values. Tarran Valley The Government is considering rezoning farm land to allow residential development in an important water catchment area close to an historic goldfield town. Labor will refer the planning scheme amendment to an independent panel to determine the suitability of residential development. Bob Pettit Reserve With a kindergarten, a playground and sports facilities, this Reserve is the cornerstone for community activity in Jan Juc. Labor will rezone the land to protect it as public open space, keeping the park in the hands of the community. Indian Cultural Precinct Victoria s Indian community is Australia s largest, but unlike our Greek, Italian and Chinese communities, it doesn t have a precinct to call its own. Labor will create an Indian Cultural Precinct a hub for business and tourism to celebrate the Indian community s contribution to the multicultural capital of the world. 6 For more information go to: DanielAndrews.com.au Authorised by N. Carroll, 438 Docklands Drive, Docklands.