By Laura Michell
A “hard” urban growth boundary around the Whittlesea township should be considered by the state government to better manage future growth and development, according to Whittlesea council.
As part of its submission to the state government’s Planning for Melbourne’s Green Wedge and Agricultural Land Review, the council has urged the government to investigate applying an urban growth boundary around the township, which is currently zoned as green wedge land.
The council said the absence of an urban growth boundary around the town had resulted in increasing pressure to extend the town boundary to support additional residential development.
“The absence of an urban growth boundary around the township has resulted in a sense of uncertainty within the local community and some land use speculation/ land banking around the perimeter around the township,” the submission stated.
Council planning and development director Justin O’Meara told last week’s council meeting that township residents had raised the need for an urban growth boundary to be applied around the town.
“They would like to see growth and development within the township better managed and one way of achieving that would be to put a hard urban growth boundary around the township to make sure any future development or redevelopment can be managed appropriately.”
The council’s submission also called on the state government to honour its commitment to create 1200 hectares of woodland within the municipality’s green wedge.
Known as the Grassy Eucalypt Woodland, the reserve is the result of a 2010 state and federal government agreement to protect areas of environmental significance that were potentially impacted by the expansion of the urban growth boundary around Melbourne that year.
Under the agreement, the state government was required to acquire land for the woodland.
“To date no land … has been secured or acquisition processes commenced,” the submission stated.
“Securing the [Grassy Eucalypt Woodland] investigation area will not only protect biodiversity assets and safeguard the landscape qualities for Whittlesea’s green wedges but also help to …manage the urban-rural interface by introducing a permanent and functional buffer to the urban growth areas.”
Mr O’Meara said the council would seek a meeting with Environment Minister Lily D’Ambrosio about the status of the woodland.
