samantha in the press - planning

Changes to build on
Leader Newspapers
by Emily Webb
2 May 2012


Shire set to grow up
Mail Newspapers
by Mara Pattison Sowden
2 May 2012


note: Current height limits in Yarra Ranges exceed 11mtrs

housing strategy endorsed by council

report from the roundtable - 24 apr

At this week's council meeting we had to consider Housing Amendment C97, also known as the Housing Strategy.

A long time in the making (we started the journey in 2007) it was time to consider the final amendment and endorse it for submission to the Minister for Planning for his approval.

I spoke to the amendment and how it would effect Belgrave and Tecoma. In effect should the amendment be approved by the Minister the land zoned Residential 1 in Belgrave and Tecoma will be rezoned to Residential 3.

It's important to provide planning controls with clear
guidelines, which is what C97 does. This view from
Lilydale shows how planning can impact on our precious
 viewlines in Yarra Ranges.

This is a great outcome for the hills, as controls in Res 3 are far more sensitive than Res 1 which is more of an 'open slather' zoning. Rather than the current controls which accept 60% site coverage for a dwelling and 80% site coverage for total hard surfaces the new zoning means that site coverage for dwellings is reduced to 30% and total hard surfaces 50%.

Allowing a modest amount of infill housing will ensure aging in place opportunities and the areas in question are close to Tecoma and Belgrave railway stations. It's terrific to know that the new zoning will give hills residents the chance to downsize when they need to without leaving the area.

One of the very positive outcomes of the amendment will see the integration of the Neighbourhood Character controls giving more strength to these via the planning scheme (and at VCAT too).

I'm pleased that the Housing Amendment C97 was endorsed by the majority of council.

Voting for:
Councillors Samantha Dunn, Terry Avery, Graham Warren, Noel Cliff, Jeanette McRae and Chris Templer

Voting against:
Councillors Richard Higgins, Len Cox and Tim Heenan.

STOP PRESS: This amendment has been gazetted and comes in to operation 16 May 2013

housing strategy, another step closer

report from the roundtable - 10 may

At this weeks meeting councillors had to consider Planning Scheme Amendment C97. C97 puts into effect Council's adopted Housing Strategy and Neighbourhood Character Study using a series of different planning controls which address sub-division, building height, site coverage, vegetation protection and design criteria. It also defines residential land in the shire into areas of consolidation (higher density), incremental change (infill development) and least change (no change or low density).

There has been extensive public consultation around C97, it affects around 39,000 households in the shire and yet the shire only received 150 submissions. Some of the submissions sent to council are not supported by council so we are obligated to request the Minister of Planning appoint and independent Planning Panel to review the submissions.

As a result of submissions Council has endorsed some changes to the proposed planning controls including greater vegetation controls in Mount Evelyn and changes regarding subdivisions in court locations, these as well as others will from part of council's submission to the Planning Panel.

It's been a long process, one that started well before I was elected to council, but its good to be inching closer and closer to seeing the Shire's Housing Strategy and Neighbourhood Character Study being incorporated into the Yarra Ranges planning scheme.

keeping to the strategic direction

report from the roundtable – 23 mar
The Shire has spent many years consulting around our Housing Strategy, a document that details the appropriate places for increased housing densities in the Shire. The strategy was recently endorsed by council and is currently before the Minister for Planning. Two applications at this week’s meeting sought to challenge the strategic direction of the shire.

The first application, in Lilydale, sought to put 3 dwellings on a 1036m2 block with vehement opposition from residents in the surrounding area. Lilydale has been designated as a Major Activity Centre, it is one of the regions in the shire where increased densities are supported and in the case of this application the block falls within a ‘consolidation precinct’, where densities or 300 to 400 m2 are encouraged.

In this case the density was 1:345m2 and located 1.3kms from the Lilydale railway station and the services and retail that Lilydale has to offer. It is a prime location for this type of development and council has to ensure it upholds the strategic direction of the shire. Councillors voted to approve the application.

Conversely the other application sought to re-subdivide two blocks of land in Mt Evelyn in a low density residential zone. Should it have been approved this would have created lot sizes of 705m2 and 2,239m2.

The shire has spent countless hours (years) consulting around our Housing Strategy, and we cannot ignore that as the whim takes us. The decisions we make today are attached to the land in perpetuity and the granting of a smaller lot size in a low density residential area creates a precedent that would be hard to justify.

Further to that this application is in the Foothills area of the Dandenongs, an important area because of the vegetation and low density character of the region. The motion to approve the re-subdivision was lost and a refusal was supported by the majority of councillors.

One of the most important roles of council is decision making about land use, we must be true to our communities and continue to uphold the strategies that we have taken years to consult on, to do anything less is to fail to uphold community aspirations for how they want their shire shaped.

housing strategy endorsed

report from the roundtable - 26th May

This week's council meeting saw us consider the housing strategy which will provide a planning framework to deal with increased housing in the Shire over the next 20 years.

The strategy has been a long time coming. When I was first elected to council in 2005 it was already a work in progress some 3 years old. Since that time there has been extensive consultation about the housing strategy.

In the first iteration of the strategy increased housing densities were proposed in the Dandenong Ranges towns of Belgrave, Upwey and Tecoma. The community was outraged and rejected the notion of smaller lot sizes, pressure on the environment and increased housing densities in these areas.

This latest version of the Housing Strategy responds to those concerns and no increase in densities is proposed in these towns. The only increases in density that apply in these towns are ones that apply have always applied. There is a very limited corridor of Residential 1 zoned land and within that there is the potential to subdivide. This has always been a possibility and the Housing Strategy does not change this in any way. It must be noted that all land zoned Residential 1 in these towns is categorised as a 'least change precinct'.

No changes will be made to Low Density Residential Zones which covers the majority of residential areas in Belgrave and Tecoma (the towns I represent) and the controls in place in these areas will be maintained.

There was some confusion by some of our submitters that the background research document, housing.id, was what council was adopting. The paper referred to infill development in Belgrave and raised the alarm of some community members. However the research had only identified what has always* been possible in this town. *note: 'always' refers to the time since council amalgamations.

It was abundantly clear to me in our local consultations on the housing strategy that our community did not want changes to their townships (see blog & blog).

The Housing Strategy is an important step in guiding new housing in Yarra Ranges, particularly in the consolidation areas of Lilydale, Chirnside Park, Mooroolbark, Healesville, Yarra Junction, Kilsyth, Mt Evelyn and Yarra Glen. Yarra Ranges is the land of the single detached three bedroom home which does not meet the needs of the changing demographics and type of households in the Shire. The strategy will address housing diversity needs and it will encourage sustainability in house design with a focus on water and energy efficiencies.

Another important element of the Housing Strategy will see the implementation of our Neighborhood Character Study. In the past Yarra Ranges has seen many developments erode our neighborhood character. The Housing Strategy's residential planning framework will provide us with legislative framework in the planning scheme to protect and encourage our neighborhood character.

It was great to see the Housing Strategy endorsed unanimously by council, it has been a long time coming but certainly worth the wait.

housing strategy - have your say

I am very disappointed by comments from some in the local press about the intent of the draft housing strategy. I am not going to get into the nitty gritty of the strategy here, I urge you to find out more by visiting http://www.yarraranges.vic.gov.au/Page/page.asp?Page_Id=3056&h=1.

The draft housing strategy is out there for public comment. As the community representative it is my job to ensure that the community are given the opportunity to have their say. It is not a fait accompli, a done deal, a final document - it is a work in progress in the public realm so the public have a chance to have their say.

Would those quoted in the press rather council did not seek the views of the community, that there was no opportunity to comment - I think not.

I am not interested in censorship, suppression or lack of consultation, there is no need to "have a fight", informed and rational arguments go a lot further than scaremongering and inflammatory remarks.

I urge you to have your say, but don't be mislead by sensationalist tactics by some in our community. It is not that council is "brave" in releasing the draft strategy for comment, we are committed to seeking the views of our community.

I am very interested in what our community thinks and can assure you I will be representing your interests.