‘Squashed’: High-rise plan blindsides Toorak

A council in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs says the state government’s plan to fast-track high-rise apartment developments around public transport hubs risks delaying housing construction by upending the council’s strategy to accommodate population growth.

On Sunday, Premier Jacinta Allan unveiled the first 25 of its 50 new “train and tram zone” activity centres, as the state government pushes to increase housing supply.

Don Gurr, owner of Traffic gift shop in Toorak Village, says overdevelopment could hurt the area’s livability. Credit: Justin McManus

The bold plan will reshape the skyline, with high-rise buildings to pop up across the suburbs – particularly in some of the leafiest, most expensive areas in the city’s east and south-east.

Nine of the 25 new centres – including Toorak and Toorak Village – are in the City of Stonnington, which takes in suburbs such as South Yarra, Prahran, Malvern and Armadale. Councils are in caretaker mode during the local government elections, limiting their ability to comment.

But Stonnington chief executive Dale Dickson said the council had been “blindsided” by the government plans, which remain short on detail but appear set to override years of careful council planning to enable housing growth while protecting the area’s livability.

Dickson said the council’s plans would provide 65,000 extra dwellings by 2051 – more than the state government’s target of 51,000 new dwellings in the LGA by that time.

Toorak Village has been announced as one of the government’s new activity centres.Credit: Chris Hopkins

“All that planning has been done, it is sensible, and there’s been local community engagement … and that is going to provide the right solutions faster,” he said.

Dickson said development was under way near Toorak Village under a recent planning scheme developed by council and approved by the state government. The council intended to use a similar model to manage more intensive housing growth in 17 other locations.

“It’s difficult to see what solution to the housing crisis is going to come out of what has been announced,” he said.

The state government has said height limits in the 25 new activity centres will be decided following community consultation. Ten initial activity centres have gone through consultation already, resulted in only three areas with hight limits above 12 storeys: Frankston and Preston at 14 storeys and Ringwood with 20.

Toorak Village Residents Action Group president Tony Fialides said locals would be concerned about managing congestion and parking if there was a significant increase in apartments in the area, as well as preserving the area’s aesthetics.

“It depends on what they’re proposing – are we talking 30 storeys or 10?” Fialides said.

“Developers that have come into Toorak in the past few years have tried to construct buildings that were sympathetic to the area.

“If you’re talking about putting up a 40-storey building near Toorak Village, I don’t think people will like it.”

Developer Vicland recently completed a nine-storey development on Toorak Road, now the tallest building in the Toorak Village area.

Don Gurr, a resident and owner of Traffic mens gift shop in Toorak Village, said people’s lifestyles would suffer if buildings that size were approved on residential streets.

“I’ve got two hats: my first hat as a business person welcomes the increased population, but my second hat is as a resident,” Gurr said.

“If you’ve got nine storeys next to your little townhouse, you’ll feel like you’re squashed.”

Apartment buildings tower over Toorak railway station already.Credit: Chris Hopkins

The Allan government will announce another 25 activity centres by the end of this year, in addition to an initial 10 that have gone through a public consultation process.

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