The SOS Team have been collating the changes and reviewing the outcomes of the current Plan Melbourne releases, and there are some shocking changes – stay tuned we will publish it shortly.
Background
Planners and the community in general were told there was a tight schedule for consideration of PlanMelbourne submissions because the final document was to be released in early January. We’re still waiting…..
According to an email on 28.1.14 from the Manager, Stakeholder and Community Relations, DTPLI, “final changes are underway with Plan Melbourne and it will be released once these have been completed”.
The delay seems to be related to higher ABS population projections and planning industry complaints that some councils are using the new Neighbourhood Residential Zone to restrict too much of their residential area from more intensive development:
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/melbournes-growth-study-not-going-to-p…
So are we really short of more land for residential development? Not according to the latest reports from the Victorian Urban Development Program:
http://www.dpcd.vic.gov.au/planning/news-and-events/news/land-supply-rep…
These UDP reports show 2-3 decades of industrial and residential land supply, and a doubling of apartments already built or planned in activity centres in the last 5 years!
So development industry concern about being able to cater for population increase seems to be really about better access to the more desirable and more lucrative potential infill development sites in the inner and middle suburbs..……