Home   >   Features   >   Submission to Plan Melbourne Refresh Discussion Paper (October 2015)

Submission to Plan Melbourne Refresh Discussion Paper (October 2015)

By on February 2, 2016

DR ELIZABETH GIBSON reports on comments made by CMPA on section 3.5 Extractive Industries p.36 of the Plan Melbourne Refresh discussion paper (October 2015).

According to the discussion paper “Melbourne is facing many challenges with significant planning implications. These include:

  • A changing economy;
  • The demands of providing infrastructure across a greater area to more people;
  • A growing and ageing population;
  • A changing climate; and
  • Meeting demands for diverse housing.

Victoria’s land use planning system, underpinned by the Plan Melbourne 2014 strategy and the Regional Growth Plans, has a key role in addressing these challenges and realising the opportunities they also present.”

The following points were made by the Victorian Government concerning the scope of the Plan Melbourne Refresh.

  • “The Plan Melbourne Refresh is not intended to comprehensively revise Plan Melbourne 2014.
  • It builds on the extensive work and consultation underpinning Plan Melbourne 2014.
  • There is bipartisan support for much of Plan Melbourne 2014. Plan Melbourne 2016 will maintain its key priorities but also strengthen the focus on housing affordability, climate change and energy efficiency.
  • The refresh also provides opportunity to update Plan Melbourne 2014 to reflect current government transport commitment and priorities. It will also document progress in implementing Plan Melbourne initiatives and actions and better define how they will be measured, update data and improve the strategy’s clarity and useability.”

The following comments were supplied by CMPA (via email on 18 December 2015) on section 3.5 Extractive Industries p.36 of the Plan Melbourne Refresh discussion paper (October 2015) (available at http://refresh.planmelbourne.vic.gov.au).

The CMPA stated it should be remembered that construction materials are a critical resource with ~10 tonnes/person/annum used. This has vast implications with Victoria expected to grow by 100,000 people/annum and indications that current construction materials reserves may only last 10 years around Melbourne with the work authority application process taking up to 8 years.

The CMPA supports in principle option 32 Implement the outcomes of the Extractive Industries Taskforce through the planning scheme, including Regional Growth Plans, to affirm that extractive
industries resources are protected to provide an economic supply of materials for construction and road industries.

However, it is difficult to fully support because the outcomes are not yet known and so the actions from Plan Melbourne 2014 should also be incorporated for certainty:

  • Identify and map significant natural resource assets, including existing quarries and their buffer areas and natural resources suitable for future quarrying.
  • Review planning provisions to protect quarries and future natural resource assets from incompatible land use and development.

1st para 3rd line “Some 880 works approvals allow quarrying activity across the state which produce around 52 million tonnes of stone, limestone, gypsum, sand and gravel each year.”:

  • Whilst there may be some 880 work authorities (not approvals) not all will be active due to a variety of reasons from initiation of sites to non-active sites.
  • Clay should also be included in the list of construction materials.
  • There needs to be an understanding that the construction materials are not interchangeable i.e. clay cannot be used for the same purposes as stone.
  • Not all construction material deposits produce the same range of products.

 

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Sponsored Ads