By Alesha Capone
Wyndham council will investigate planning options to help limit multi-unit developments in Werribee, Hoppers Crossing and part of Tarneit amid concerns about housing “overdevelopment”.
Cr Josh Gilligan has proposed that council officers prepare a report into potentially adopting a planning scheme amendment to implement “minimal change areas”, where multi-unit developments could be restricted, in parts of the municipality covered by General Residential Zones.
In a written notice of motion submitted to the council last month, Cr Gilligan wrote that Wyndham was seeing “an emerging pattern of VCAT decisions favouring inappropriate multi-unit development in parts of the city”.
“We have to change the game and it begins with a planning scheme amendment that must be put as soon as possible,” he said at the council meeting.
Cr Gilligan said the planning reform was “desperately” needed to protect the environment and heritage areas of Wyndham, as well as to prevent congestion in residential streets.
“It makes me sad where I see situations where a single, detached home is being demolished in favour of four, five, six units because the block is large and because they (developers) have the ability to do so under our planning scheme,” Cr Gilligan said.
A majority of councillors gave Cr Gilligan’s notice of motion the thumbs up, including Cr Susan McIntyre, who said “strong controls” were needed so that VCAT would not constantly overturn council decisions against multi-unit developments.
“I think it’s important, we need to strengthen our planning controls where we can, to ensure that there isn’t inappropriate development all across the municipality,” Cr McIntyre said.
“Residents are increasingly seeing overdevelopment and are looking to us to try and support them.”
Cr Marcel Mahfoud said that sometimes residents became “quite angry” when large multi-unit developments were proposed next to their properties.
He said Cr Gilligan’s proposal would provide a way “to really stand up for our residents”.
“We need to put something within our planning scheme that controls limits or try to stop these sort of developments, in areas where they’re not needed,” he said.
The council will receive a report into Cr Gilligan’s notice of motion by September 28.
