Councillors consider submissions to its Municipal Planning Strategy

The City of Melbourne considered submissions from a variety of interest groups regarding a proposed amendment to its Municipal Planning Strategy (MPS) at its April 15 Future Melbourne Committee meeting.

Thirty-seven submissions were made to the council from a wide array of stakeholders, including residents, landowners and government agencies. Stakeholders raised several issues affecting North Melbourne, West Melbourne and Kensington in their submissions.

The MPS sets out the long-term strategy for land use and development across the municipality.

The City of Melbourne says that the amended MPS will put “greater emphasis on promoting sustainable development, promoting housing diversity and affordable housing, mitigating climate change, promoting employment, innovation and creative industries, elevating high quality design outcomes and design excellence and recognising Aboriginal cultural values and heritage.”

The amendment would also change policies that govern how planning applications are assessed.

The Victorian Racing Club, the owners of the Showgrounds Village Shopping Centre, and Melbourne Royal all made submissions arguing that the Flemington rail corridor should be designated a “Potential Urban Renewal Precinct”.

All three submissions make the case that the Showgrounds and nearby rail corridor are excellent areas for intensive urban development.

The council’s management noted that though the area wasn’t listed as an urban renewal precinct, “change is expected everywhere”.

Property developer Perri Projects expressed concerns that the designation of the Maribyrnong Waterfront Precinct as a “potential renewal precinct” does not reflect extensive development work already under way.

The submission suggested that investment and development in the area was already outpacing council planning, and that the area’s designation should reflect this.

The council pointed to previous planning amendments and the 2020 planning document Maribyrnong Waterfront – A Way Forward as important background for understanding the council’s position on development in this area.

It maintains that the Maribyrnong Waterfront’s strategic location close to the port and existing industrial and commercial activity justifies more balanced development than areas designated for urban renewal.

Nearby, landowners at 632-670 Footscray Rd in West Melbourne expressed their opposition to a potential future park on their premises based on the MPS’s Draft City Spatial Plan, which contains a map showing open space at the site.

The landowners argued that the proposal would create potential future conflict between the open space amenity and industrial operations in a strategically significant economic area.

The council noted that the Draft City Spatial Plan was a background document that suggested where open space may be needed in the future. A specific proposal for the creation of new open space in the area would be subject to a future strategic planning process.

Homes Victoria, the state government’s agency overseeing the development of social and affordable housing, made a submission largely in support of the proposed amendment.

It raised some concerns about the alignment of the policy with emerging state government policy and asked for some changes to language around social and affordable housing.

The Port of Melbourne made a submission criticising the omission of the Webb Dock Freight Link from proposed maps. The council responded by saying that as the proposal was not yet formally gazetted its inclusion would be premature.

The Port also raised concerns that “strategically important” Port of Melbourne land was to be included in open space along the Moonee Ponds Creek. The council pointed out that the open space area was part of its endorsed Moonee Ponds Creek Strategic Opportunities Plan 2020.

It added that any new open space “would require facilitation with relevant agencies,” indicating potential future conflict over the land.

Both the Port of Melbourne and the Department of Transport and Planning also requested that maps be updated to reflect the Victorian Government’s preferred Metro 2 route announced last year. •