Rural land change closer

Nathan Johnston
THE rezoning of 1000 hectares of land for industrial development south of Dandenong moved another step closer at Monday night’s Greater Dandenong Council meeting.
The two sites were originally on the wrong side of the State Government’s urban growth boundary set out in its Melbourne 2030 plan a tool to direct the growth of Melbourne in the next 20 years.
But the City of Greater Dandenong successfully lobbied to have the boundary changed because of a forecast need for industrial land.
The council is now set to change its planning scheme to rezone the land from Rural to Industrial 1.
One of the final steps is to advertise the changes to the public and call for submissions.
Councillor David Kelly said there was room for improvement with the changes.
“There is an area in the Dandenong Ward where there needs to be a buffer zone between the proposed commercial area and existing residential areas,” Cr Kelly said.
“It’s the wrong type of development and this is a chance to stop problems arising in the future.”
But Cr Clare O’Neil said the changes were vital for the long term growth and economic viability of the municipality.
“We’re all aware of Dandenong’s great manufacturing history. We need (the extra land) so we can tap into the growth of the manufacturing industry,” she said.
“We called for the changes because we thought that the economic future of the city was not being catered for.
“Since then the State Government has worked with the council to exorcise the land from the urban growth corridor.
“It shows the government has faith in the future of the City of Greater Dandenong.”