By Rachel Eddie
The Allan government wants to slash car parking requirements at new apartment complexes near Melbourne transport connections and stop development in more flood-prone streets, while directing regional communities to approve higher-density housing.
Premier Jacinta Allan and Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny on Friday released the new Plan for Victoria, which establishes new boundaries around regional cities to stop sprawl and manage population growth to 2051.
Premier Jacinta Allan in Frankston on Sunday.Credit: Chris Hopkins
The document outlines plans to ease car parking requirements for apartments developed next to transport connections, but the government did not provide detail about how parking requirements would be reduced further or how existing reductions would be expanded. Requirements have already been reduced within 400 metres of the public transport network in Melbourne, which covers most of Yarra, Stonnington and Port Phillip councils.
“We’ll reduce the number of car parks required for development in locations well serviced by public transport,” Plan for Victoria says. “It’s a commonsense way to reduce traffic congestion and the cost of housing. We’re also increasing the minimum required bicycle parking and end-of-trip facilities in new developments to support riding and scooting.”
The plan does not include detail on which areas could have reduced car parking requirements for apartments, other than that the sites would need to be near transport connections.
The government has said it will identify land that could have reduced car parking requirements. It has not provided detail on what the reduced requirements will be, for example, how many car parks would be required for a development of a certain size.
Kilkenny has threatened to take over planning powers from councils that don’t show commitment to the targets. Councils only need to make the development possible under their planning schemes, so meeting the targets is unenforceable.
The document says a car park sometimes increases the price for the buyer of a townhouse or apartment by more than 10 per cent and adds more than 15 per cent to its rent, despite 40 per cent of private parking spaces in the city sitting empty.
“Housing will be less expensive because it doesn’t include the need to provide costly basement car parking in areas where we want to see apartment style development, and traffic congestion in these areas will be reduced because there will be fewer cars coming and going,” the plan says.
The plan also outlined the first regional growth boundaries will be established for Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo – expected to absorb a combined 200,000 extra homes over the coming decades – to encourage development in the centre of town near jobs and services.
The government released draft housing targets for every local government area in Victoria last year, but on Monday, Allan and Kilkenny cut the target for new homes in metropolitan Melbourne by 2051 from 2 million to 1.78 million.
Targets for regional communities, released on Friday, marginally increased for many local government areas, but the target was slashed by more than 10,000 in Geelong.
Together, all Victorian councils have been asked to prepare for 2.24 million extra homes by 2051. About 20 per cent of those, or 460,000 homes, are in the regions.
Advocacy group YIMBY Melbourne welcomed the watered-down car parking requirements for well-connected apartments.
“We look forward to seeing the activity centres and housing targets rolled out across the state, and for Victoria to leverage planning system reform to continue leading the nation in home building,” YIMBY lead organiser Jonathan O’Brien said.
Car parks around older train stations could also go, to make way for cyclists, pedestrian connections, landscaping or open space.
The government is considering how best to use land around train stations.Credit: Joe Armao
“We’ll investigate how we can make areas around train stations, including car parking areas, more attractive and vibrant to encourage more people to use public transport,” Plan for Victoria says.
“It might also be possible to integrate shops and offices with stations (like at Box Hill Station) or re-purpose car parking areas for homes (like around Jewel Station in Brunswick).”
Urban Development Institute of Australia chief executive Linda Allison said the government needed to deliver infrastructure and provide property tax relief to ensure its plan could be achieved.
“Plans are good, action is better,” Allison said. “Industry has been striving to deliver homes in extremely challenging conditions. A plan does not change those conditions; measures to support industry will be key.
“As part of our pre-budget submission, we’ve called on a review of property taxes, particularly windfall gains tax. Getting the tax settings right will be essential to bringing forward industry’s ability to meet the ambitious targets set out in the plan.”
The document only says the government will “consider” setting targets for how many new homes should be social or affordable, but it separately sets a target for all urban areas to have 30 per cent tree canopy coverage.
The government will also identify transport corridors to simplify bus routes and provide new services.
Flood maps will be updated to discourage development in risky areas and guide the design for flood-resilient buildings.
“Some locations simply aren’t suitable for more homes,” the document says. “As we update modelling for Melbourne and regional Victoria, some areas we now see as low risk of flooding will be identified as being at high risk ...”
The document singled out Fishermans Bend and Arden, two of the government’s target precincts for residential development, as among those needing to be flood resilient.
Plan for Victoria brings together government announcements this week, including the last of its 60 activity centres to encourage development around transport connections, finalised housing targets for the city councils, and plans to fast-track townhouses and low-rise apartments that meet a set of standards.
The government also expects to streamline planning rules for mid-rise apartments and is reviewing the Planning and Environment Act and infrastructure contributions developers need to pay.
Allan said she wanted to see sustainable growth across Victoria.
“I want my kids and future generations of kids to have the same opportunities I’ve had,” the premier said.
Existing boundaries around Melbourne, the Bass Coast, Surf Coast, Bellarine Peninsula and Macedon Ranges are unchanged by the plan released on Friday.
Opposition Leader Brad Battin said the Allan government was delivering more spin, but not more housing, and the government needed to provide property tax relief.
“All we’re seeing from the Allan Labor government is trying to pass the buck and pass the blame to say it’s always councils’ fault,” Battin said.
“There’s a generation who’s going to find it very difficult to be able to afford a home, not just to buy, but even to rent. And the government now are panicking, and in that panic, they’re starting to bring out plans with no voice and no choice for our community.”
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