26 March 2013 - Nillumbik Shire Council

OCM.029/13 Submission to Metropolitan Planning Strategy 2012 Discussion PaperAttachment 1below those of other municipalities which contain major employment areas, such as theCity of Hume which is a major industrial location with a job provision ratio of 1.05.In 2011, 66.1% of Nillumbik’s workers travelled outside the Shire to their place ofemployment. Melbourne CBD and Banyule attract the largest proportions of Nillumbikresidents. This is unsurprising when both the CBD and Heidelberg are major white-collaremployment nodes and Nillumbik provides a highly skilled workforce. In 2006 and 2011,the largest industry for employed Nillumbik residents was healthcare which is a majoremployer in Heidelberg. Therefore, good transport connections to employment nodesare crucial for both Nillumbik workers and the businesses that utilise their skills.Council has considered and planned for the economic development of the Shire but as acomponent of integrated planning for housing, community services and public transport.Council believes its current policies and projects give strong and appropriate support toeconomic development opportunities and will help to combat the job deficit. In 2006,there were approximately 6,000 businesses in the Shire. Of these, by far the largestnumber was in the property and business services sector and in construction. Betweenthem, these two industries accounted for 53% of all businesses in the Shire. Both theEltham MAC and Diamond Creek MAC Structure Plans recognise and support theseindustries by providing opportunities to expand.The Eltham Town Centre is the largest centre in Nillumbik and comprises approximately25,000m2 of retail floor space. The Eltham MAC Structure Plan anticipates an additional7,500m2 of retail floor space and 3,800m2 of office space. Diamond Creek Town Centrecomprises approximately 13,000m2 of retail floor space and can accommodate another7000m2 of retail floor space and 3,600m2 of office space.Making jobs the starting point for urban form could have negative consequences onMelbourne’s character. Many Council planning policies encourage retail land uses atground level to ‘activate’ the street. A renewed proliferation of office buildings orindustrial lots has the very real potential to provide blank urban forms with poorsurveillance opportunities and no sense of place.Industrial and freight areas The notion of expanding the mix of uses in lower intensity industrial areas directlycontradicts Nillumbik policy which discourages the use of industrial land for other types ofdevelopment. The Nillumbik policy is designed to preserve extremely scarce industrialland, which is in high demand throughout the Shire. Nillumbik has approximately 30 haof industrial zoned land, all of which is occupied. More non-industrial uses in these31