C126 is go

Great news to hear that the Minister for Planning has approved Yarra Ranges Planning Scheme Amendment C126 without changing the wording submitted by council.

The journey to get to this point has been a long one and started back in May 2008 with the development of Vision2020 by Design.

Amendment C126 is an articulation of Vision2020 by Design, a document which provides guidance on desired built form outcomes across the Yarra Ranges.  C126 is a translation of Vision2020 by Design into Planning Scheme controls known as Design and Development Overlays (DDOs).

The newly approved overlays will provide design guidelines for new developments across town centres in Yarra Ranges. They are all about the built form component of new developments. The design guidelines will make it easier for potential applicants and other interested parties to understand Council’s design objectives for the future development of town centre areas.

Amendment C126 received a high level of media interest due to the inclusion of a provision that “Buildings and works that comprise drive through sales facilities are discouraged”, with this provision covering the townships of Belgrave, Kallista, Mt Dandenong, Olinda, Sassafras and Tecoma.

As part of the public exhibition process council received 73 submissions, the majority of those from community members in the Dandenong Ranges concerned about the prospect of more convenience restaurants in the hills. McDonalds also submitted to the public exhibition process, citing concerns with the DDOs around the ‘step down’ approach to building heights, the retention of buildings that contribute to the character of the town centre, the need for verandas to be designed based on established veranda design and lastly the provision to *discourage drive throughs associated with convenience restaurants (*note the final wording of this provision was changed to: buildings and works that comprise drive through sales facilities are discouraged).

It should be noted that the DDO’s give greater weight to built form outcomes and will be useful planning policy into the future, sadly we didn’t have the weight of planning scheme policy when considering the McDonalds application and could only rely on Vision2020 by Design which does not have the same status as a Design and Development Overlay.

I congratulate the Minister for approving the amendment as presented, certainly has made a lot of locals very happy and the new DDOs will be part of the many tools available when assessing built form elements in new developments across Yarra Ranges into the future. 

The next step in affording greater planning protections to the Dandenongs is the development of a Localised Planning Statement, Yarra Ranges is one of 4 councils in Victoria to have this additional policy control granted by the Minister for Planning. I’m currently in discussions with the Minister for Planning to ensure it includes the Dandenongs.

talking dandenong ranges issues with minister guy

localised planning statements and the bushfire management overlay

Yesterday I met with Minister for Planning, Matthew Guy, to talk in the main about Localised Planning Statements and their role in protecting the Dandenong Ranges (not to mention the broader Yarra Ranges as well).

I’ve long been concerned about the ability of councils to be able to put effective measures in place that protect and enhance what’s special about their area. It was heartening to learn that the Minister is very keen and supportive to give Yarra Ranges Council the autonomy it needs in developing a Localised Planning Statement that reflects the community aspiration for Yarra Ranges. It was good to discuss and get greater understanding on comments made by the Minister in Parliament back in August.

It was also good to hear that the Minister is determined that there be a strong and weighty planning tool to offer protection to municipalities that have special characteristics and along with Yarra Ranges, Mornington Peninsula, the Bellarine and Macedon Ranges also have the ability to develop Localised Planning Statements.

Council’s strategic planners have already commenced work on the development of the Yarra Ranges Localised Planning Statement and I look forward to further discussions with the Minister once the draft has been endorsed by council. Rest assured I will continue to work with the Minister to ensure the best outcomes for the Dandenong Ranges community.

On another note I also talked to the Minister about the unintended consequences of the new Bushfire Management Overlay (BMO) and how that is playing out in Yarra Ranges and specifically in the Dandenong Ranges. It was important to talk about the constraints, I have for a long time expressed concerns about the impact of the BMO which to me was legislation on the run, rather than a well considered and careful approach on how to meet the recommendations of the Victorian Bushfire Royal Commission.

There were a range of issues canvassed with the Minister including community aspiration to live in bush areas and the need for more flexibility within the overlay, about building to ‘flame zone’ requirements and the consideration of bushfire shelter in place options. I also talked about the constraints of meeting the vegetation defendable space clearance zones in areas with relatively small subdivisions (the Dandenongs) and conflicts with other planning controls such as the Erosion Management and Environmental Significance Overlays. We briefly discussed the CFA role in assessing defendable space and the impact of VCAT decisions on current assessment practices and the need to see reform and clarity in this area. 

It was good to have the opportunity to speak to the Minister directly about these issues as the BMO will have enormous impacts on the ability of people to build, rebuild or renovate their properties on land covered by a BMO. I look forward to seeing work in this area to meet the recommendations of the Victorian Bushfire Royal Commission but provide a sensible way forward without the unintended consequences we see at the moment.