By CAMERON LUCADOU-WELLS
PLANNING zones that allow high-rise development in many of Dandenong’s most desirable residential streets are set to be gazetted by the state government.
The planning amendment C175 allows for high and medium rise units and apartments in residential growth zones, including Dandenong’s northern streets.
Within the zones building heights can increase by at least a storey, up from nine metres to 13.5 metres, and places of worship, shops and medical centres can be approved without a permit.
Greater Dandenong Council has pushed for early implementation of the zones.
Melinda Puglisi, who was part of a grass-roots signature petition campaign to remove streets such as Grace Avenue, MacPherson Street, Power Street and Clow Street from the zone, said the council should have waited until it reviewed the zone boundaries and Dandenong’s neighbourhood character.
The reviews, which are currently underway, won’t be open for public submissions until March or April next year.
“The (zones implementation) should have been done as a holistic exercise, including the reviews.
“I don’t know why it wasn’t done,” Ms Puglisi said.
“After the review is done, there’s no promise that (Planning Minister) Matthew Guy will agree to subsequent changes to the zone boundaries.”
Under the changes, some residential streets in Dandenong North, Noble Park and Keysborough – about 27 per cent of Greater Dandenong’s – are zoned as neighbourhood residential zones and protected from radical development.
About 11 per cent are zoned for residential growth.
The council’s city planning, design and amenity director Jody Bosman said the council was well positioned to implement the new zones because they closely aligned with its policies.
It was the first step to ensuring “the planning controls affecting residential land in Greater Dandenong continue to be appropriate and balance the needs of the community and landowners,” he said.
Councillor Matthew Kirwan, who had publicly tackled Mr Bosman over the council’s haste to implement the new zones, said it was never going to be easy to move single-storey streets out of the high-rise zones.
“In terms of reducing the residential growth zone, it’s going to be up to the Minister of Planning. However I want the council to represent the needs of residents.”
Last week Mr Guy said that Greater Dandenong struck a “healthy balance between residential growth and protection”.
“This lays the foundation for a strong future for the City of Greater Dandenong, with an affordable housing supply and protection for appropriate areas,” he said.
The amendment is expected to come into operation on 14 November.
