Local architect wants to fill the void left by Rohan Leppert on council

“Melbourne by Design” is the title of the City of Melbourne election campaign being led by local architect Michael Smith, who says it’s critical that the next council has someone who will take city planning seriously.

The North Melbourne resident, who is also the founder of Carlton-based architectural practice Andever, revealed his intention to run a single-issue campaign for council exclusively with North West City News in September.

Mr Smith said he wanted to try and fill the “big shoes” being left by outgoing Greens councillor and urban planning expert Rohan Leppert, who has served on the council’s planning portfolio for the past 12 years.

Cr Leppert’s decision not to recontest at October’s elections represents a major loss to city planning, with the three-term councillor having made an enormous contribution in the eyes of many, including Mr Smith.

He told North West City News that he believed it was crucial for the City of Melbourne to have a representative with professional experience to “take the planning portfolio seriously”, which is why he had decided to run as an independent.

“We’ve been very lucky to have that sort of expertise [Cr Leppert’s] to guide our city over the past three terms and his leadership in this space is recognised from people across the political spectrum,” Mr Smith said.

“If you're not paying close attention to council affairs and meetings, one may not realise that his contribution has been quite large.”

I’m running for the City of Melbourne because I feel that our council would greatly benefit from somebody who takes a keen interest and has some knowledge about planning for our city.

“Our next council will almost certainly be dominated by business representatives and career politicians, so we need a voice on council who has the knowledge and expertise to help guide the right planning decisions for our future.”

The career architect has a history of community service and design advocacy having been involved in the successful campaigns to protect Royal Park from the East West Link, as well Federation Square from the Apple Store proposal.

He said that with planning decisions being among “the most consequential that a city council makes” it was important to have someone capable of understanding the system, as well as “detail and nuance”.

With “Melbourne on the precipice of significant change” amid the current housing crisis and the city’s population expected to double by 2040, he said “exemplary planning and design” was the only path forward.

Melbourne by Design is an entirely self-funded campaign, and Mr Smith said he wouldn’t be taking donations from anyone, adding that “transparency and managing conflicts of interest is incredibly important”.