A land owner fears the value of his property will be slashed after an independent planning panel endorsed a plan to convert almost 500 hectares of rural land north of Craigieburn to an industrial precinct.
Craigieburn resident Claudio di Martino says the Craigieburn North Employment Area Precinct Structure Plan (PSP) will rob him of the ability to develop his own property.
“It’s like we’re snookered,” he said. “I wanted to develop it myself, but it can’t be done now.”
The Metropolitan Planning Authority (MPA) appointed a two-person panel late last year to advise on an amendment to the Hume Planning Scheme that would help shape the development of 488 hectares in Craigieburn, Donnybrook and Kalkallo into industrial land and a conservation area along Merri Creek.
Despite unresolved issues with four affected landowners, a developer and the Merri Creek Management Committee, the panel rubber-stamped the blueprint, describing it as “well founded” and “strategically justified”.
It means 49 properties covered by the plan will be rezoned from urban growth to industrial 1 zone for manufacturing use or be part of a conservation zone.
Mr di Martino wants the entire precinct to be rezoned from Urban Growth Zone to residential zones. Failing that, he has suggested it could be a mixed-use zone to facilitate development of the land adjoining the Hume Highway into a motel precinct.
He argues that an industrial commercial zone is not feasible because there isn’t enough demand for industrial land in the northern growth corridor.
In response to Mr di Martino’s concerns, the panel said in its report: “The best financial interests of individual landholders is not a factor that the Metropolitan Planning Authority, or indeed this panel, can or should take into account.
The panel notes the MPA’s acknowledgement that the proposed zonings “do not accord with what some of the land owners want … the responsibility of the Metropolitan Planning Authority is to prepare PSPs which plan for land use outcomes across the whole of the growth corridor.”
MPA chief executive officer Peter Seamer said the panel’s report validated the MPA’s position.
Mr Seamer said the MPA would update the plan in line with the panel’s recommendations then provide it to Planning Minister Richard Wynne within two months.
