Greater Dandenong City Council has joined forces with 23 other Victorian councils to push for more sustainable design within planning requirements.
Council has lodged a planning scheme amendment with the State Government, seeking to introduce planning policy that elevates sustainability requirements for new buildings and encourages a move towards net zero carbon development.
Along with the amendment, Greater Dandenong has written to the Minister for Planning Lizzie Blandthorn asking her to support the amendment and to acknowledge that the current planning requirements do not reflect the urgency needed to tackle climate change.
The amendment seeks to build on the current Environmentally Sustainable Development (ESD) requirements for new developments and in doing so, better protect the natural environment, reduce resource and energy consumption, and support the health and wellbeing of future occupants.
Strengthening its calls, Greater Dandenong has collaborated with councils from across the state, sharing the project with Ballarat, Banyule, Bayside, Boroondara, Darebin, Frankston, Glen Eira, Greater Bendigo, Greater Geelong, Hobsons Bay, Knox, Maribyrnong, Mitchell, Moonee Valley, Moreland, Mornington Peninsula, Port Phillip, Stonnington, Strathbogie, Warrnambool, Whitehorse, Whittlesea, and Yarra.
All 24 councils represent approximately half the Victorian population and planning activity.
Greater Dandenong City Council is undertaking this work as a member of the Council Alliance for a Sustainable Built Environment (CASBE), supported by the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV).
Cr Garad highlighted the significance of the outcome.
“This is an incredibly significant outcome and a testament to the power of local government collaboration in pursuing sustainability outcomes in the built environment” Cr Garad said.
“We are immensely proud that Dandenong is a member council of CASBE, and it is extremely significant to have consideration of climate change into the purpose of Victoria Planning Provisions and all planning schemes.
“This will have tremendous impact by creating a more sustainable, more energy efficient, and more cost effective built environment. It is hard to understate the significance of this achievement.”
After the State Government’s recent implementation of Stage 1 of its ESD Roadmap (by creating new planning policy objectives), Greater Dandenong sees this amendment as the next step in improving ESD requirements with detailed, measurable targets that will deliver meaningful outcomes in practice.
Under the proposed changes, new developments would:
produce net zero carbon emissions
reduce household bills by making buildings more energy efficient
provide a healthier and more comfortable environment for building occupants
better manage water quality, use and collection
protect and enhance greening and biodiversity
be more resilient to changing climate impacts.
