26 March 2013 - Nillumbik Shire Council

OCM.029/13 Submission to Metropolitan Planning Strategy 2012 Discussion PaperAttachment 1space. Council considers that its activity centres provide sufficient land for local officesand employment.Complementing the extensive work Council has completed in its strategic planning for itsactivity centres, are policies designed to prevent out-of-centre development. WhileCouncil agrees that services need to be brought closer to people, it should be done bymaking it easier for people to get to existing service hubs. The Paper states innumerous sections that public transport is essential for liveability, accessibility andequality. Council can foresee major community battles over a proposal for a newconvenience store, at the edge of a quiet residential street, just down the road from astruggling neighbourhood centre. The local milk bar ubiquitous across Melbourne untilthe 1990s has faded to memory, even in inner Melbourne, because of the economies ofscale and clustering. Council questions why the State Government believes that milkbar-typeconveniences will suddenly prosper again. Far better to concentrate policies oninfill development and better transport connections (i.e. encouraging investment indefined activity centres), rather than compounding urban sprawl with ‘retail sprawl’.The notion of the ’20 minute city’ can only be meaningfully achieved by improvingphysical access to services, rather than attempting to establish new services inresidential precincts.Idea 9 – Providing diverse housing in the right locations at a reasonable price The desire to design a house at a lower cost is to be commended and Council believesthe Victorian Architect would be well placed to undertake this task provided the projectwill deliver what it promises.Idea 10 – Improving the environmental performance of suburbs Council wishes to highlight that local initiatives for healthy and sustainable communitiesare thriving in Melbourne and only need greater support from State Government. Forexample, Councils are often the instigators of a social housing project.. Councils havetaken the lead on pushing for higher levels of green building design where Stateregulation is lacking. Farmers’ markets, instrumental in bringing fresh, local produce tothe city, are promoted and supported by local government. Community-driven bulkbuying of green energy or solar panels is another great example of non-governmentalgroups making a difference. The suggestion in the Discussion Paper that a‘neighbourhood approach to sustainability’ would be more effective either shows a lackof understanding of the level of motivation that exists already or represents an attempt toshift the cost and responsibility for environmental management to local government andits residents. Council expresses serious concern if the latter is true.41