The Green Wedges Coalition and local residents are calling on Hume council to implement a Green Wedge Management Plan, with action continuing to lag behind that of other councils.
Green wedges are defined as non-urban areas of metropolitan Melbourne that lie outside the urban growth boundary. There are 12 green wedge areas across 17 municipalities which form a ring around the city.
Green Wedges Coalition coordinator Rosemary West said they would welcome Hume council finally adopting a management plan, being the only council with its own green wedge yet to make such a plan.
“While other councils have been making Green Wedge Management Plans in line with state government planning objectives, Hume embarked on a policy to manage its green wedge in its own way,” she said.
“It sees its green wedge as only existing to support a curfew-free airport, rather than to support agriculture near to city markets and to provide relief from urban sprawl.”
Hume council’s 2022 Rural Strategy recognised this with the introduction acknowledging “the significant role the rural areas play in protecting the curfew free status of Melbourne Airport distinguishes Hume’s green wedge.”
Ms West said Hume is a growing urban area and its rural and natural areas have been neglected by the council.
“Our coalition and local rural residents are dismayed that the council has supported more and more urban uses in its green wedge.”
A Hume council spokesperson said the state government planning system reform regarding Green Wedge Management Plans is not yet complete.
“In the meantime, council is working to implement the Rural Strategy, including many of the same actions included in other council’s Green Wedge Management Plans,” they said.
“Council adopted Hume’s Rural Strategy in April 2022, which provides direction and certainty to the community about the future planning and council support for the rural areas.
“Council intends to translate the strategy into a Green Wedge Management Plan once we have the final advice from the state government on any system changes.”
Local residents David and Gwen Chandler both agree with Ms West and the coalition, and said council’s current Rural Strategy is ineffective in protecting the green wedge.
“[It’s ineffective] because there’s commercial development all along,” Mr Chandler said.
“There’s no hard boundary between the urban growth corridor and the green wedge,” Mrs Chandler added.
They both said it’s frustrating that council is waiting on final advice from the state government, yet other councils have implemented management plans.
“It’s very frustrating. We need clarity, and so do the people that are doing the development work,” Mr Chandler said.
Mrs Chandler said it’s frustrating waiting on the management plan as a resident living in the green wedge.
“If other councils have [implemented a management plan] Hume should have developed its,” she said.
Mr Chandler said they are starting to see the urban creep go forward between the boundary and the green wedge.
“The general opinion seems to be that if you don’t have a hard boundary, you don’t have a green wedge.
“I mean, there’s nothing to stop the creep going forward.”
