Kingston adopts new housing framework
Kingston Council has made changes to its Housing Strategy and Neighbourhood Character Study following strong advice from the Victorian Government and independent planning consultants.
Kingston Mayor Steve Staikos said the strategy plans for housing over the next 20 years and includes a series of priorities needed to make housing more affordable, diverse and matched to the changing needs of the local community.
Kingston’s current zones are temporary and were set to expire in March 2020, however, Council was given an extension to progress the Housing Strategy in line with the directions and strategies provided in Plan Melbourne and the Planning Policy Framework.
The Victorian Government estimates Melbourne will grow to 7.9 million people by 2051. Government policies stipulate that the city can’t keep sprawling outwards, so the Victorian Government’s Plan Melbourne sets out how all local Councils will have to take their share of the growth.
“The Victorian Government and the independent planning consultant engaged by Council both gave strong advice that the proposal adopted by Council in August last year simply won’t be accepted or progressed. Ultimately to change the Planning Scheme, Council needs the Planning Minister’s support,” Cr Staikos said.
“We’ve made some changes in an effort to meet the Victorian Government requirements while still speaking up for what our community wants. The community will have a chance to provide further feedback on the proposed changes to our Planning Scheme in early 2022.”
Some of the changes proposed by Council include:
- Seek to incorporate Council’s Urban Cooling Strategy in the Planning Scheme
- Identify priority areas for public-space enhancements (e.g. improved landscaping and street treatments to encourage walking and cycling)
- Reduce the extent of areas where three-storey development was proposed in a small pocket of Mentone by increasing the areas zoned for two-storey dwellings (Neighbourhood Residential Zone).
“Kingston’s long standing policy practise is to see population growth centred around our 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,” Cr Staikos said.
Council will submit the revised proposal to the Minister for Planning to consider the request to authorise the formal Planning Scheme Amendment, this will trigger the next stage of consultation, which is expected to take place in early 2022. All Kingston residents and ratepayers will be notified by post when the consultation opens, and we encourage our community to get involved and have their say.
Using feedback from the community and expert advice from an independent planning panel, the Minister for Planning will make the final decision on our planning controls – including the levels of development in different areas.
