Brimbank council said it does not support Development Victoria’s draft development plan in its current form for a housing estate in Cairnlea, and said the “substandard“ plan “falls short of community and council expectations.”
Council provided its feedback in a letter to the Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) after the department sought council’s review of the plan in July.
The draft plan applies to the first stage of the project at 147A Cairnlea Drive and 26S Glenbrook Avenue.
In the September council meeting Cr Virginia Tachos said council remained disappointed the minister had elected to become the responsible authority, reducing council’s authority over the project.
“I also thank the officers for their diligence and ongoing vigilance in the face of substandard development plans being prepared for Cairnlea and call on Development Victoria to lift their game,” Cr Tachos said.
In the letter, council cited a range of reasons it does not support the draft including the plan not fulfilling certain mandatory requirements under the Development Plan Overlay as well as a number of clauses in the Brimbank Planning Scheme (BPS).
Council also called the draft a “partial development plan” that excludes large areas of the site such as a former landfill site.
“It would be a concern if these sites proved to be too difficult to deal with and were abandoned in the future,” the letter stated.
Council also identified the need for the plan to include a siting plan, a traffic and access plan and a landscape master plan.
Council made a number of recommendations including increased protection for existing trees on the site and for the development plan to be assessed under one application rather than a staged approval.
Another request asked for “the preparation of a comprehensive social impact assessment, to be undertaken by a suitably qualified expert,” which council said should “rigorously evaluate the potential short and long-term impact of the proposed development plan on local community facilities.”
The DTP told Star Weekly Development Victoria is currently finalising a planning strategy in line with Brimbank council’s existing planning framework.
“The DTP continues to work closely with Development Victoria and Brimbank City Council to finalise plans for the site,” a DTP spokesperson said.
The DTP said delivering the Cairnlea project in stages will allow flexibility to respond to infrastructure needs and community feedback as the project progresses, and that future stages of the project will be subject to their own development plans.
According to the DTP, future planning applications will be assessed against the current planning scheme controls that affect the land and will take into consideration various matters including safety issues, land remediation, the provision of community facilities, and proposed development density.
The DTP said a Development Contributions Plan Overlay applies to the land, and that Development Victoria will make contributions in line with this requirement to help fund the infrastructure needed to support growth in the area.
Development Victoria published preliminary documentation regarding the proposed development’s potential to impact listed threatened species, and opened a period of community consultation from Monday, September 22 to Monday, October 6 for locals to review the documentation and provide feedback.
