PLANNING POLICY

Strategic and statutory planning policies in Melbourne require urgent reform if we are to keep Melbourne liveable, sustainable and beautiful for current and future generations. Green open space, well-designed and affordable housing, heritage protection, sustainable design, climate adaptation and community engagement in planning are priorities for Melbourne City Council.

Principles
1The planning of Melbourne should stimulate prosperity, harmony, sustainability, equity, and social justice in all elements of its development. Individual interest, community interest and intergenerational interest must be transparently accounted for.
2Planning should aim primarily for sustainability and quality of design; including social, environmental and financial sustainability.
3Melbourne City Council has the responsibility to identify areas of urban renewal and the differing rates of growth for all parts of the municipality, while demonstrating how green open space, heritage, amenity and liveability will concurrently be protected or improved.
4The priorities for planning a liveable inner Melbourne include: abundant affordable housing options, quality public open space, public and active transport, and the essential and accessible community infrastructure required for all ages of our growing population.
5Planning controls and policies need to be designed with fair, accessible and extensive community engagement, and communities’ needs and advice must be seriously considered.
Aims: Planning for future communities
1Require that planned new and significantly altered communities, such as E-gate, Fishermans Bend and other Structure Plan areas, include appropriate public transport and infrastructure such as schools and community centres, affordable housing and a mix of other housing models and types. These plans should also include significant private, shared and public open space, best-practice waste management, and require leading energy efficient design and management to be demonstrably embedded in the projects at the scale of buildings and precincts.
2Lobby for major reform of development contribution arrangements to allow government to capture a fair proportion of the increase in property values for the purposes of building necessary new community infrastructure, and improving existing infrastructure.
3Facilitate a consensus between the City of Melbourne and the State Government on planning for demographic changes through the establishment of mechanisms which seek to avoid contradictory policies.
4Lobby for the establishment of a new body to oversee metropolitan-wide transport, land use and infrastructure planning responsibilities, with a governing body that includes elected representatives.
5Ensure each precinct within the City of Melbourne has a structure plan that is inclusive, consultative and community-owned.
6Embed International Association for Public Participation principles in all strategic planning projects, to more genuinely engage with residents and ratepayers on planning for growth.
Aims: Addressing housing affordability
7Address the affordable housing crisis by requiring at least 20% of dwellings in all new medium- to large-scale residential developments in declared urban renewal areas to be affordable units, supporting private build-to-rent and rent-to-buy schemes, and establishing a council-run housing trust to manage affordable housing projects.
8Include affordable housing units in developments on Council-owned land and keep development in public ownership and under public management wherever possible.
9Remove barriers to affordability where appropriate and effective, including by reviewing off-street car parking and other provisions within planning instruments.
10Implement financial disincentives for vacant and unoccupied land and dwellings, directing revenue to housing affordability projects where possible.
11Lobby for Victorian legislation for rent control and stronger rights for tenants.
Aims: Planning an eco-city
12Ensure sufficient and quality sunlit green open space for current and future populations through levying development contributions, with much higher levies in areas where government has caused an uplift in land values, to acquire and improve land for conversion to parks.
13Protect sunlight to parks and public open space and keep our city pedestrian-friendly through stronger local policies in the Melbourne Planning Scheme.
14Strongly support Council’s target of 40% tree canopy by 2040 through measures such as underground power-lines, reducing the number of tree removals as a result of developments, and incorporating green infrastructure into building design.
15Provide systematic and innovative incentives for climate change mitigation and adaptation in new and existing development.
16Encourage, and allocate space for, quality community gardens including those that also provide space for play, relaxation and biodiversity.
17Review planning policies to encourage lower energy options including in properties under owners corporations. This would include allowing passive clothes drying, and retrofitting solar power, energy efficient lighting and insulation.
Aims: Retaining Melbourne’s human scale
18While facilitating infill, growth and readaptation, maintain inner Melbourne’s famous fine grain and human scale built form typology and heritage through the application of balanced planning controls.
19Remove clutter from footpaths and kerb sides where possible to facilitate pedestrian access.
20Ensure appropriate balance between pedestrians’ free access to footpaths and kerb sides and well managed commercial uses.
21Work with land owners and developers to encourage public use of private land, where appropriate, and to facilitate through-block pedestrian links.
22Encourage pedestrian permeability between and within mixed-use developments.
23Maintain and encourage active uses at street level, such as shops, hospitality venues and other businesses that open directly to the footpath.
Aims: High quality urban design
24Strengthen the plot ratio limits in the central city as well as urban renewal areas, above which developments may only be approved with significant community benefits being quantified and agreed to.
25Further strengthen tower separation rules in the central city to ensure fair solar access and outlook for all.
26Maintain a strong design excellence program to ensure that significant local development proposals are subjected to design review or competition.
27Strengthen provisions relating to energy-efficient and liveable building design features to world’s best practice.
28Significantly increase the number of inspections of the city’s high-risk buildings to ensure compliance with building laws.
29Continue to work with the Victorian Building Authority and building owners for the swift rectification of flammable cladding and other defects including those that complied with deficient building surveying and certification laws.
Aims: Protecting heritage
30Complete the rolling heritage reviews of each part of the municipality and turn Council’s focus towards celebrating heritage and the benefits of readaptation.
31Provide incentives and funding options for the documentation and preservation of important heritage buildings, infrastructure and streetscapes, both listed and unlisted.
Aims: Accessible, fair and accountable planning processes
32Lobby the State Government for an outright ban on donations to Councillors and Council candidates from property developers, construction companies and related design and consulting service providers.
33Increase staffing capacity of the city’s strategic and statutory planning functions to improve the timing, consistency and quality of service to developers, objectors and residents.
34Lobby for the transfer of control over developments in excess of 25,000 square metres from the State Planning Minister to Melbourne City Council.