Community feedback leads to sweeping changes to Housing Strategy

Community feedback leads to sweeping changes to Housing Strategy

Council has voted to make sweeping changes to the Housing Strategy & Neighbourhood Character Study, based on feedback from the local community.

Kingston Mayor Georgina Oxley said Council had listened to the extensive feedback it had received from the community on the proposed Housing Strategy and had made significant changes based on that.

“The local community told us they wanted less development and wanted to ensure dwellings over two-storeys were kept to a minimum in Kingston,” said Cr Oxley.

The changes proposed by Council include:

  • Reducing the extent of areas where three and four-storey development was proposed by increasing the areas zoned for two-storey dwellings (Neighbourhood Residential Zone) to at least 80% of Kingston
  • Seeking to limit more than two units on an average-size lot (proportionally more on larger lots) in sensitive parts of the Neighbourhood Residential Zone
  • Requiring stairwells to rooftop decks be unenclosed.

Council will now submit the revised proposal to the Minister for Planning to consider the request to authorise the formal Planning Scheme Amendment, and the next stage of consultation. The Minister for Planning or his Department will make the final decision on what goes out for consultation.

Council expects to open consultation towards the end of the year or in early 2021. All residents will be notified by post.

The Victorian Government estimates that the population of Greater Melbourne will grow to 7.9 million people by 2051 and has set out how all local Councils must accommodate growth.

“It’s incredibly important we get the balance right as it effects everyone who lives in Kingston,” said Cr Oxley. “For that reason, we have been consulting with the community throughout this process.”

To meet demand, Kingston Council is planning to accommodate our share of population growth generally in and around key activity centres, close to public transport, shops and services. This would allow us to protect the neighbourhood character and amenity of our quieter residential streets.

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