By Kerri-Anne Mesner
BRIMBANK and Melton councils have backed State Government initiatives to streamline the planning system outlined in the report Making local policy stronger.
Brimbank mayor Margaret Giudice said the council supported any improvements that would strengthen local planning policies.
“The changes proposed are likely to give more certainty regarding the protection of neighbourhood amenity and I think this will be welcomed by the Brimbank community,” Cr Giudice said.
“Council’s approach will be to focus new residential (development) in and around activity centres and to limit inappropriate development in residential neighbourhoods.
“If local planning policies that council decides upon itself and includes in its planning scheme are to be strengthened, I think this will put Brimbank in a much better position when it comes to appeals at VCAT (Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal).”
Melton Shire Council’s Planning and Development general manager Luke Shannon said the council supported the ongoing review of the planning system and the associated Victorian Planning Provisions.
“The government has foreshadowed a range of further refinement to the planning system that will occur in the future and council supports any process that will improve the effectiveness of the planning system in Victoria and that allows for council to effectively implement planning policies at a local level,” Mr Shannon said.
The Making Local Policy Stronger report, which was released on 12 October by Planning Minister Justin Madden, was written by a ministerial working group, chaired by leading town planner Peter Cumming.
It identified a range of measures to deliver clarity and more certainty to the decision making process.
The first of five key recommendations was providing more certainty for councils by making it easier to implement policy through planning controls.
The second recommendation was to clarify the implementation at a local level of the State Planning Policy Framework. Also, progressively reviewing planning schemes to clearly express state and local strategic intentions; increasing the effectiveness of local policy by simplifying the way it is presented in planning schemes; and clarifying when prescriptive provisions can be used.
One of the 11 actions recommended in the report was to review the residential zones to assist councils to better deliver on their housing strategies.
Another recommendation was to substantially reduce the length and complexity of policy and paperwork in planning schemes.
The Making Local Policy Stronger report and the government’s priority action plan are available at www.dpcd.vic.gov.au/planning.
