FROM THE CMPA SECRETARIAT (Issue 62)

Growth Corridor Plans – Managing Melbourne’s Growth

BRUCE McCLURE, General Manager of the CMPA reports on the recently released draft Melbourne Corridor Plans.

THE Growth Area Authority released draft plans for the strategic direction for future urban development of land in Melbourne’s four growth corridors on the 9th November 2011. The subsequent documents, plans and conservation strategies were available for public scrutiny and comment with any submissions to be to the authority by the 20th December 2011.

The CMPA has put in a submission. The December 2011 submission covered exactly the same concerns as were expressed in earlier submissions in July 2009 and November 2010. However inspection of the actual growth corridor plans provided showed very little information on the actual location of current extractive industry Work Authorities or future potential extractive industry sites located within the growth areas or within the Extractive Industry Interest Areas (EIIAs) that have been in existence for some time.

An extract from the CMPA submission is shown below:

STRATEGIC ASSESSMENT OF EXTRACTIVE INDUSTRY INTEREST AREAS (EIIAS)

A concern with the draft is that the maps included in the documentation do not show all of the existing extractive industry or Work Authority sites in the areas of interest. In most cases the EIIAs have also not been shown on the plans.

Although the plans are too small a scale, the existing and possible future extractive industry sites are vital for the future development of Melbourne and should be included on the plans.

In the draft paper paragraph 3.7.3 mentions “maintaining local quarrying potential” but the vital importance of this industry to Melbourne’s future is not evident from this paragraph and subsequent plans. All new housing, supermarkets, schools, industrial buildings, roads all require extractive industry products and therefore needs to be given considerably more attention in documents such as these when discussing Melbourne’s future growth areas.

The CMPA notes that urban development is scheduled to occur through large tracts of EIIAs in the west around Rockbank, in the north around Donnybrook and Beveridge, and in the east near Clyde. Weunderstand that EIIAs do not provide statutory protection for such resources or that extractive industry would be confined to these areas, however the CMPA is highly concerned that these interest areas may be reduced as a result of this review.

Any such changes which impact upon EIIAs should only be finalised after detailed geological assessments have been made by Government, and the resource assessed considering the benefit it does, or can, provide to the community.

The disappointing aspect of the lack of current and potential future extractive industry sites on the growth corridor plans is that it shows that many of the planners of Melbourne’s future do not have an understanding of what construction materials that a modern vibrant and evolving city will need so that it can expand.

Industrial buildings, schools, supermarkets, shopping centres, roads do not simply appear out of thin air. They need planning and funding but they also need a cheap efficient and effective supply of basic construction materials for their construction.

If Melbourne is going to grow with affordable infrastructure then the community will need easy access to materials. These materials are available in the growth areas, they can be obtained with minimal disturbance and/or affect on the environment but we all need to have the will and the conviction that together we can grow Melbourne for the benefit of future generations. Anything less will result in major issues for our children and our grand children to deal with.

SURVEY OF MEMBERS

The CMPA Members Survey for 2012 has been sent out to all Voting and Associate Members. The purpose of the CMPA Member Survey is to capture the matters of relevance to Members in order to effectively direct the Association’s resources and activities for the betterment of Member’s.

Information from the survey will enable the Secretariat:

• To effectively represent the Membership at all levels of government;
• To provide governments with a better understanding of the significant impacts they have on the industry; and
• To provide government with a better understanding of the impact the industry has on the State’s economy; and
• To provide required business focused services to the Membership; in education, training and business operations and management.
• Identify future capital expenditure for Associates.

The effective provision of these services will provide a reference point for Members to move forward with confidence and to continue to invest in their operations.

Results of the survey will be presented at the Annual Dinner on Saturday 25th August 2012. Please invest this time to ensure the CMPA stays relevant to your business needs.

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