Yarra River and Victoria Gardens STOP THE TOWERS 10.30 am – Saturday 16th Sept., 112 Smith St.

In what would be a clear disaster for the Yarra river, and for the residents of Richmond who live near the Victorian Gardens shopping center, Salta has announced its intention to build seven massive towers on the bank of the Yarra river, and four tall towers on Burnley St opposite the Victoria Gardens shopping center (currently zoned Residential 1!).

Download the SOS Submission to the Priority Development Panel

All the proposed towers are HIGHER than the current MFB building on the site – even though Yarra Councils Urban Design Frame work specified that as the maximum height!

The towers going down Burnley St are going to be almost twice as high as Victoria Gardens Shopping center opposite, and the complex will go hard up against a small lane with houses on the other side. As this is all zoned Residential 1 at the moment!

The matter has been referred by the Planning Minister Rob Hulls to the Priority Development Panel ie –
The Minister has asked the PDP to provide advice on a number of interrelated matters in the Victoria Street East Precinct in Richmond, including:

1. The request by the City of Yarra for interim structure plan provisions to implement the Victoria Street East Urban Design Framework (UDF)
   
2. The request by Tara Nominees (Salta) to rezone land within the Victoria Street East precinct to a Priority Development Zone (PDZ) to facilitate the development of a mixed use precinct within the Victoria Street
   Major Activity Centre.

SOS believes that structure plans that implement the UDF should be immediately implemented – the UDF was developed by Yarra Council in 2004 and the process included wide spread community consultation. Minister Hulls knocked back the councils request for controls last year, he should not do so again.

SOS also strongly believes that the land should NOT BE REZONED TO A PDZ, because –

1. The PDZ zones deny natural justice to residents, in removing the residents right to appeal, while RETAINING the developers right to appeal!
2. The area on the banks of the Yarra river should NOT become a PDZ due to the significance of the Yarra river, and the impact a development on this site could have.
3. The area on the west side of Burnley St should NOT become a PDZ as
   1. it is currently zoned Residential 1
   2. is part of an intact residential neighbourhood
   3. was never envisaged to be a part of the commercial development of Victoria Gardens
   4. any development will significantly impact surrounding residents.
4. The developer should NOT be able to request rezoning of land it not only does NOT own, but has not even contracted to buy!

A PDZ has two main features –

1. The developer receives permission to build something ‘generally’ in agreement with a broad concept plan.
2. Third party (ie residents) rights to object are removed, but the developers rights to appeal remain! ie in later stages, when the council issue individual planning permits for parts of the development, residents CAN NOT take the council to VCAT, but the developer can!

The supporting documents are on the DSE/PDP web site, scroll down to the “Yarra – Victoria Street East Precinct” section.
Submissions are due in at the PDP by April 27, 2006 (not 2005 as the PDP documentation states..)