Melbourne’s Future Planning Framework

DR Elizabeth Gibson, General Manager of the CMPA

Overview

Plan Melbourne 2017-2050 is the high-level plan developed by the Victorian Government to guide growth and change across our city. It is a blueprint guiding the actions of planners, local councils, landowners, and developers – ensuring Melbourne grows more sustainable, productive and liveable.

Strategy for extractive resources (www.planmelbourne.vic.gov.au)

Policy 1.4.2

Identify and protect extractive resources (such as stone and sand) are important for Melbourne’s future needs.  Melbourne’s demand for extractive resources is expected to almost double by 2051. This demand will be driven largely by sustained growth in the residential sector—including Melbourne’s growth corridors—and strategic projects such as Fishermans Bend, the MetroTunnel and major road upgrades.

Extractive industry resources in green wedges and peri-urban areas need to be protected and carefully planned to provide for Melbourne’s needs without impacting on local amenity. Effective strategic planning for these resources will increase industry certainty and improve community confidence.

There are a small number of extractive industry interest areas within Melbourne’s urban growth boundary—such as Boral at Ravenhall. The sequencing of urban development in growth areas should allow strategic resources such as stone and sand to be extracted ahead of establishing urban areas, with provision for these areas to proceed outside defined buffer zones that can be subsequent in-filled by other urban land uses. If not managed, urban encroachment, rural residential expansion and other incompatible development will constrain the operations of existing quarries and curtail future supplies of extractive resources—endangering Melbourne’s medium- to long-term growth prospects. To secure a long-term supply of extractive resource materials at competitive prices, current extractive industries must be protected and future extractive resource areas must be identified.

Plan Melbourne 2017-2050 recognises that more detailed planning is needed for Metropolitan Melbourne to manage growth across the city (including the supply of extractive resources). Plan Melbourne identifies the need for six plans to be developed, providing detailed guidance at a regional level and setting a 30-year vision for each area. To achieve this, the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning has developed Melbourne’s Future Planning Framework which is now available for you to review and provide your feedback.

Melbourne’s Future Planning Framework comprises of six Land Use Framework Plans to guide strategic land-use and infrastructure development for the next 30 years. The plans will provide a means of aligning state and local planning strategies and working collaboratively across government to implement Plan Melbourne.

The purpose of the LUFPs is to guide the application of Plan Melbourne’s nine guiding principles, 7 outcomes, 32 directions and 90 policies at a regional and local level.

These plans mark a new era in the planning of Melbourne, building on the efforts of generations of Victorians to shape the way land is used around Port Phillip Bay. They aim to set long-term plans for investment that protect and enhance local areas and communities while ensuring Melbourne’s inner city grows more prosperous, liveable, affordable and sustainable.

The plans identify urban renewal and growth areas, flag future transport opportunities, prepare for community, health, education, recreation, sporting and cultural facilities, and continue our work in protecting and identifying open space and greening initiatives.

These plans are all about keeping Melbourne marvellous – from the inner city laneways to the parks, rivers and beaches, plus the innovative industries and dynamic culture.

The six Land Use Framework Plans (available from https://engage.vic.gov.au/mfpf) have been developed for each of the six metropolitan regions identified in Plan Melbourne:

• Inner (Melbourne, Port Phillip and Yarra Local Government Areas or LGAs)
• Inner South East (Bayside, Boroondara, Glen Eira and Stonnington LGAs)
• Eastern (Knox, Manningham, Maroondah, Monash, Whitehorse and Yarra Ranges LGAs)
• Southern (Cardinia, Casey, Frankston, Greater Dandenong, Kingston and Mornington Peninsula LGAs)
• Western (Brimbank, Hobsons Bay, Maribyrnong, Melton, Moonee Valley and Wyndham LGAs)
• Northern (Banyule, Darebin, Hume, Mitchell, Moreland, Nillumbik and Whittlesea LGAs)

CMPA Submission

General Comments

It is pleasing to note that serious attention and recognition was given to extractive resources in the Western Region Land Use Planning Framework (LUPF), the Northern Region LUPF and the Southern Region LUPF.  However, this attention and recognition of extractive resources was glaringly absent from the Eastern Region LUPF.

Specific comments

Strategic Extractive Resource Areas (SERAs) are being proposed to protect existing and future extractive resources with the first SERAs having recently been implemented 19 August 2021 (found in Wyndham and South Gippsland Local Government Authorities (LGAs)).  This process took ~4 years.  The time factor should be taken into account if embarking on the process of implementing SERAs to protect existing extractive sites and future extractive sites.  By the time the SERA is to be implemented residential growth may have overtaken the SERA process.

The extractive resource should be sourced from a quarry site near to where it will be used not only due to cost savings but to ensure a reduced carbon footprint.

The Department of Economic Development Jobs Transport and Resources (2016) Extractive Resources in Victoria, Demand and Supply Study, 2015–2050 (available from https://earthresources.vic.gov.au) was a substantial piece of work, however, overestimation of available extractive resources may have led to complacency by LGAs.  This overestimation occurred due to the inclusion of future extractive resource projects when consideration needed to be given to the immense difficulty (time, cost and numerous approval stages) in obtaining a Work Authority (license to extract).

Conclusion

The necessity and importance of ensuring replenishment of supply of extractive resources needs to be recognised and acted upon by LGAs as a matter of urgency including for the Eastern Region LUPF.

You must be logged in to post a comment Login