Mornington Peninsula Shire has filed a ‘broad-ranging’ submission to the Victorian Parliament’s Inquiry into the Protections Within the Victorian Planning Framework, carried out by Parliament’s Environment and Planning Committee, into whether current rules are sufficient in providing both affordable housing, and environmental and heritage protections.
The submission suggested potential changes to the Planning and Environment Act 1987 as well as the Victorian Planning Provisions.
The Parliamentary committee has now delivered its interim report, which calls for a full inquiry including public hearings to be carried out at the beginning of the next parliament.
Mornington Peninsula Shire Council’s submission covered a wide range of issues, including:
- The high cost of housing
- Environmental sustainability and vegetation protection (including impacts of climate change, sea level rise, bushfire exemptions, biodiversity conservation, and vegetation management overlays)
- Delivering certainty and fairness in planning decisions for communities (including mandatory height limits, minimum apartment sizes, protecting Green Wedges and the urban growth boundary, and community concerns about VCAT appeal processes)
- Protecting our heritage (including the adequacy of current criteria and processes for heritage protection)
- Ensuring residential zones are delivering the type of housing that communities want
Mornington Peninsula Shire Mayor, Anthony Marsh, said improvements must be made as a matter of urgency.
“Planning affects every aspect of our daily lives and it’s important we get the balance right. Our submission to the inquiry looks at a whole range of current planning issues and suggests improvements,” Mayor Marsh said.
“The Peninsula’s housing market is out of balance, with rents and property values rising fast and affordable housing in very short supply. Homelessness is a growing problem, yet we have no crisis accommodation. This issue requires coordinated action at the state and federal level.
“Issues such as protecting our native vegetation, mitigating and adapting to climate change, protecting neighbourhood character and preserving our heritage affect us all. Improvements in legislation are needed across each of these areas to ensure we can achieve the best outcomes for our community.
“I urge everyone to read Council’s submission to this inquiry and contact our local state election candidates to let them know how important these matters are to you.”
