Community consultation for Allan government’s suburban high-rise tower plan slammed as ‘tick box exercise’
Community groups and councils have savaged the consultation process around the Allan-government’s plan to build thousands of high-rise apartments across Melbourne, saying the public is being left in the dark about the impact it will have on suburbs.
Suburban community groups and councils have savaged the state government over plans to build thousands of apartments across suburban Melbourne, calling “tick box” consultations an “abject failure”.
Frustrated representatives slammed the Allan government’s community engagement over its suburban high rise tower plan — its centrepiece housing policy — as they fronted a key inquiry probing three proposed planning changes on Wednesday.
The major amendments will make way for apartment hubs to sprout across 60 suburbs and inner city locations — dubbed ‘activity centres’ — and make it easier to build three-storey townhouses and low rise apartments.
Mark Cassar from Liveable Moonee Valley said community consultation appeared to simply be a “tick box exercise” for the state government.
He said “95 per cent” of the residents he had spoken to had “never heard of these proposals”.
“They think an activity centre is a child’s playground,” he said.
He also raised concerns about neighbourhood character, saying the plans “do not provide for the character of our suburbs at all”.
Boroondara Heritage Group for Advocacy and Protection representative Christina Branagan feared that the reforms would “undermine the heritage protection of many, many, many thousands of heritage housing, streets and buildings in all heritage overlays”.
“They’re really going to change Melbourne forever,” she said.
“We’re hoping the alarm bells are ringing.”
Jane Oldham Boroondara Community Group said while the group was supportive of housing density, they wanted a “pause” to ensure proper consultation is carried out.
“Nobody is asking for activity centres to not happen,” she said.
“Nobody is asking for less density and diversity, and nobody is asking for a worse liveability.
“We want to see improvement.
“The future of Melbourne and Victoria’s liveability is in your hands.”
The state government has labelled the inquiry a “sham” and an effort by the Liberals to “block more homes”.
“Australia is in a housing crisis and young people don’t have the same opportunities their parents had,” a spokesperson said.
“That’s unfair.”
