Archive Interim Protection and Interventions

Archive: Minister for Planning’s Interventions and Interim Protections

Last Updated 21/3/07

Mornington Gets 'Sort Of' Interim Height Protection From Minister For Planning

(31/7/06 - P) Sounds good on paper, but does it really save Mornington?

The Minister's press release says:

“Mornington is the major activity centre on the Peninsula, and given its relative regional location, one that it is very different from other major centres in Melbourne,” said Mr Hulls. “Its proximity to the coast, village feel and open and low scale character has seen it grow not only into a major tourist destination, but a place that people increasingly want to call home."

The new interim mandatory height limit restricts buildings to 4-5 storeys, is claimed to be among the first to be introduced in Victoria, was recommended by the Priority Development Panel. The only problem is that Mornington Peninsula used to have a maximum height limit of 8 metres - isn't that two storeys? Maybe that's why it used to have 'low scale character'.

MRRA Says

They just don't seem to get it, do they? Open and low-scale character, village feel - sound familiar? These attributes are being bulldozed by the Bracks government's development-at-all-costs agenda, where increasingly the end justifies the means.

Like Mornington Peninsula, Macedon Ranges too is losing these prized characteristics. While we keep on waiting for protection here in Macedon Ranges, with a five storey retirement village proposed in Gisborne, a three storey house at Macedon Lodge and a three storey call centre approved in Gisborne, we can only wish Mornington luck and hope it's not too little, too late for the Peninsula.

Planning Minister Hulls Talks Tough About Protecting Coastal Areas, But When Is The Bracks Government Going To Deliver It's 7 Year Old Promise To Protect Macedon Ranges?

(19/4/06 - SP) All we can see right now is a hidden development agenda for one of the State's most environmentally sensitive areas

Minister for Planning Rob Hulls, and Minister for Environment, John Thwaites, yesterday announced the launch of the Coastal Spaces Strategy, which aims to protect Victoria's coastlines from over-development. Mr. Hulls also announced he had declined to approve exhibition of an amendment to the Greater Geelong planning scheme to accommodate a huge residential development in a rural-zoned, coastal wetlands area. Click here to link to the Point Lonsdale Civic Association website for more information. It also raises the question of how much protection the coast really has when you consider what's just been approved at Port Campbell despite the new coastal strategy. Click here to see the 'footprint' of the 97 key (130 room), 10 shop development (including a 200 seat restaurant), 2-4 storeys; 100 metre frontage, that VCAT's just approved on the headland at Port Campbell.

MRRA Says:

Minister Hulls made a memorable statement on ABC TV News last night: we are not going to let ad hoc development proposals dictate where our towns go. We'll hold you to that, Minister, especially when an application for the gross Braemar College and 800 - 1000 lot proposal, in Farming and Rural Conservation zones on and across Golf Course Hill in Woodend, is lodged (see story). And now that the coast is protected - although perhaps not Port Campbell - can you please turn your mind to giving Macedon Ranges the protection your government promised 8 years ago, before the 1999 State election?

Minister For Planning Again 'Finds' Interim Protections - This Time For Elwood's Heritage

(19/4/06 - SP) Macedon Ranges has been waiting six years for hundreds of heritage overlays to be applied

He's done it again. Yes, the Minister has found some interim protections for yet another area in Melbourne. There can be no argument with applying interim protections in Elwood BUT, how is it then that interim protections still don't exist when it comes to Macedon Ranges? There aren't any for our heritage, our water catchments, our landscapes, our rural land, our towns... Must be that 'Macedon' simply doesn't matter to the Bracks government...

Hulls Plucks Interim Protection Controls “Out Of The Air” To Protect the Yarra River

(29/1/06 – SP) On the other hand, Macedon Ranges is told interim protection isn’t possible, doesn’t exist

It’s painful to read the Minister for Planning’s press release on this (click here), because MRRA thinks the things he says about why the iconic Yarra needs interim protection also apply (and more) to Macedon Ranges. MRRA asked the government to introduce interim protection for Macedon Ranges almost two years ago and has since been told repeatedly such protection just isn’t legally (or is that politically?) possible. In the absence of interim protection here, while we watch more and more damaging development happen in Macedon Ranges, we can but wish the ‘Yarra’ well, and note with interest that, unlike Labor pollies in Macedon Ranges, local Prahran ALP MP Tony Lupton seems to have played a leading role in getting interim protection for the Yarra – that’s a far cry from the brick walls we keep hitting in Macedon Ranges. As MRRA has said before, “Macedon” (and its icons) just doesn’t seem to matter to the Bracks government.

Minister Gives Protection to Coastal Areas and Yarra River

(27/6/05 – SP) Called interim protection everywhere else, but same thing “usurps democratically elected council” in Macedon Ranges.

MRRA notes with interest that the Minister for Planning, Rob Hulls, continues to provide interim planning protections to other areas in Victoria but still refuses the same to Macedon Ranges, because providing interim protection in Macedon Ranges would ‘usurp a democratically elected Council’. Never mind that Macedon Ranges Council has actually asked for interim protection. The Minister’s on-going refusal to provide protection for Macedon Ranges certainly ‘gives legs’ to residents’ claims that the government has a hidden growth agenda for the Shire. Click here to see the Minister’s media releases about protections provided in other areas, and a list of the times the Minister for Planning has ‘intervened’ (read ‘usurped a democratically elected Council’) to apply interim protections in other areas. This list was recently tabled by the Minister in parliament.

Daylesford Gets New Planning Protection

(9/5/05) “Daylesford’s unique neighbourhood character will be protected”

Minister for Planning Rob Hulls announced last Wednesday that Daylesford will get new planning provisions to protect neighbourhood character. In his press release, the Minister said “…the measures would ensure residential development in Daylesford was in keeping with community expectations about what was and wasn’t appropriate for the area.” Note: Macedon Ranges has yet to undertake landscape and neighbourhood character studies. The amount of work still to be done in Macedon Ranges is one of the reasons why we are asking the State government for help.