A state government plan to build townhouses and apartment buildings between three and 12 storeys in Broadmeadows must spark genuine community transformation, not just a rise in housing numbers, the council says.
The government plans to build 60,000 homes across 10 suburban activity centres, Including Broadmeadows and Epping, to address the state’s housing needs.
The government is planning to build between 3000 and 4500 homes in Broadmeadows by 2051.
Townhouses and apartment buildings between three and six storeys will be built in Epping. The government has not specified how many homes will be built in the area.
Council has challenged the government to deliver infrastructure in Broadmeadows, including the long-awaited redevelopment of Broadmeadows train station.
It said more than “just bricks and mortar” was required to help Broadmeadows realise its potential as a thriving activity centre.
“But before we see investment in houses in the air, more work needs to be done on the ground,” mayor Naim Kurt said.
“Future growth needs to be in the right places, at the right time and with the right infrastructure.
“Moving forward, we expect to see in the plan a commitment to growth being matched by adequate infrastructure, open space and diverse housing options.”
The council has criticised the government for not consulting with it before releasing the plan.
Broadmeadows Progress Association assistant secretary Sonja Rutherford said the suburb lacked the appropriate land for large apartment buildings and called for housing to be provided in a decentralised area further out from Broadmeadows.
“A solution to housing it is not, we have to start looking at other areas and public housing. But the immediate thing that we have to do is protect what we’ve got,” she said.
Under the plan, wait times for “structure planning” processes in activity centres will be reduced from up to five years down to about 12 months.
Appeals to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal will be limited for development proposals within the activity centres amid the rise of the not-in-my-backyard (NIMBY) movement.
“If the development meets all of that (criteria) and the building envelope, then the notice and review period can be switched off,” Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny said.
“It will create a more streamlined planning approvals process to enable more homes to be built more quickly for Victorians.”
Opposition planning spokesman James Newbury said the government was planning to swing a wrecking ball through suburbs without community input.
“This is an irresponsible move,” he said.
Details: engage.vic.gov.au/activitycentres
– with AAP
