Darebin Appropriate Development Association

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Alphington Station News

Congratulations to the Alphington group on this one!!

On Thursday, 18 June 2015, 19:27, Marion Gray wrote:

Dear Alphington Station Action Group members,

GREAT NEWS!!! THERE WILL BE NO DEVELOPMENT AT ALPHINGTON STATION!

See the email to us from Fiona Richardson MP, forwarded below.

The Northcote Leader newspaper will have a photo shoot at Alphington Station tomorrow (Friday) morning at 9.30am. Please try to be there if you possibly can … and pass the message on!

The Action Group is meeting with Fiona Richardson on Monday after work to hear the details. We will also be organising a celebratory get-together, so we will keep you posted.

In the meantime, thank you to everyone for all the hard work and support.

Cheers,

Marion Gray
for the Alphington Station Action Group

Dear ASAG members,
Alphington Station carpark
I am extremely pleased to announce that the Labor Government will no longer be proceeding with VicTrack’s plans to develop the Alphington Station carpark.
The carpark will not be sold. It will not be turned into a development. It will remain a carpark for people catching the train, as it should.
The decision by the previous Liberal Government to put the site out for tender was a ludicrous one that would have been damaging for our local community. As a general rule, I believe that park and ride arrangements at train stations are a crucial part of getting people off our roads and onto our rail network. This is an effective way of reducing congestion, making our communities more liveable and our city more efficient.
It has been pleasing to see the community response to the previous proposal to sell the Alphington Station carpark. Our community has been united in its opposition to this proposal and rightly so. It has been my pleasure to advocate on your behalf and get the result that we have all been hoping for.
If you or anyone you know has any further questions regarding this issue please do not hesitate to contact me by phone at 9481 5777 or by email at fiona.richardson@parliament.vic.gov.au
All the best,

Ammendment C152

Dear DADA folk,
At the Council Meeting, Monday 15th June, last, council unanimously supported the new planning and zoning schedule C157.
You can look at what was said on the archived minutes but more importantly take a look at Item 8.1 from the agenda for that meeting.Go to the Darebin website, click council meetings then agenda’s and minutes.
It is the revised housing strategy, quite a big document to download. Amendment C152 begins on page 114 and there is a map on page 121 that shows where the new zones are proposed. For many of you it will mean more protection from the development madness that has gripped Darebin in the last 5 or so years. It is a vast improvement on what that previous planning minister allocated us but still not the 80% NRZ we wanted.
We now have NRZ1 and NRZ2. The most protection is afforded by NRZ1 and I don’t think there has been much increase in that level of protection from C144.
There will be a process where we can all have a say in one form or another. Those of us who presented at the Panel Hearing on C144 should be notified personally.
Please take the time, when you have a chance to read and think about these new new zones and annoy the hell out of you local councillors about anything you don’t like!!!
Cheers, Maria
DADA

The forgotten people, Victoria’s 1 million renters

Dear DADA folk,

Here is a link to an article in today’s age highlighting the plight of renters in our state.

The over-development of our city is reducing the availability of affordable housing despite what the developers would like us to believe.

Please think about which of your local candidates will do the best for renters before you vote in the state election.

If this is an issue you would like to discuss further come to the next DADA meeting at 7pm on Wednesday the 12th of November, at 33 Dean Street, Preston.

Happy punting, Maria
DADA

The forgotten people, Victoria’s 1 million renters
Date: November 2, 2014
Ben Schneiders

Rezoning wash up for Darebin, only 10% NRZ!!

Here it is folks!

At last somebody is willing to tell us the wash up for Darebin of the state government rezoning.

According to The Age article today only 10% NRZ!!!

Much worse than even I predicted.

Only 10% of our suburban streets protected under the Neighbourhood Residential Zone (NRZ).

I agree with Brian Tee that this is a political decision.

I will go further and say the approach of Darebin Planning and Councillors on this issue has utterly failed a majority of residents and ratepayers who will not be protected from over-development in our suburban streets.

They were gutless in standing up to the state government and holding a line for an equitable percentage of NRZ as other councils did.

Please read the article and vent your anger and frustration with comments, or at least have your say.

Politicians think we have a short memory when it comes to elections. Show them you haven’t, vote for the representative you think can do a better job than this.

Utterly disgusted,
Maria
DADA

New Residential Zones | Amendment C144

Dear DADA Folk,
Below is the latest information on the planned changes to zoning in Darebin. Another round of submissions are being called for. Not enough of our streets are protected from over-development with only around 36% in the NRZ. If you are tired of fighting inappropriate development at council and VCAT or worried about what might happen in your street you need to act now. Once the zones are set you will not be able to object.
Cheers, Maria.
DADA

Re: DRAFT AMENDMENT C144 – NEW RESIDENTIAL ZONES FOR DAREBIN

In 2013, the Victorian Government released new residential zones to replace existing zones in the Planning Scheme. These new zones aim to ensure a range of housing choices to meet the needs of a growing population and provide certainty about locating different housing types and densities. The purpose of draft Amendment C144 is to implement these reformed zones into the Darebin Planning Scheme.

Between 2011 and 2031, it is anticipated that an additional 30,300 residents will call Darebin home. This means that Darebin’s housing supply will need to increase by around 13,600 dwellings during this time. The new residential zones will assist Council in managing this growth.

Councils are required to implement the new zones into the planning scheme and identify appropriate locations for each zone. For Darebin, this involves translating the existing Residential 1 Zone into the following new zones:

  • Neighbourhood Residential Zone (NRZ)
  • General Residential Zone (GRZ); and 
  •  Residential Growth Zone (RGZ).

Introducing the Zones in Darebin

The Minister for Planning has appointed a Standing Advisory Committee (the Committee) to report on proposals to rezone land from the Residential 1 Zones to the new NRZ, GRZ and RGZ. The role of the Committee is to:

  • Give submitters an opportunity to be heard by an independent body in an informal, non-judicial manner. An Advisory Committee is not a court of law; and
  • Gives independent advice to the Minister for Planning as outlined in the Terms of Reference. 

Information about the Advisory Committee including its Terms of Reference can be found here: www.dtpli.vic.gov.au/residential-zones-advisory-committee
On 3 March 2014, Council requested that the Committee review the introduction of the new residential zones into the Darebin Planning Scheme through draft proposed Planning Scheme Amendment C144 (draft Amendment C144).

Draft C144 implements two of the three new Residential Zones; the GRZ and the NRZ. It is not proposed to apply the RGZ through draft Amendment C144. Please refer to the enclosed zone map.

The application of the RGZ in Darebin is currently underway via two separate planning scheme amendments; Amendments C136 and C137, which apply to two key growth corridors within Darebin (St Georges Road and Plenty Road). The application of the RGZ outside of these corridors will be subject to further work and a separate Amendment process.
Council is seeking your views of the on its proposed residential zones. Details of the proposed changes can be viewed here: www.yoursaydarebin.com.au

How can you have your say?
If you would like to make a written submission to the Committee in regards of Amendment C144, you can do so before 17th April 2014.
Submissions can be made online at www.dtpli.vic.gov.au/residential-zones-advisory-committee and you must complete the online Submission Coversheet. Parties wishing to post in a written submission will need to contact Ms Cutting at Planning Panels Victoria to obtain a hard copy of the Submission Coversheet.
Please note that submissions must be directed to the Committee through Planning Panels Victoria. Please note that Council cannot accept submissions.
The Committee has pre-set the Hearing dates for the week starting 5th May 2014. If you wish to present at the Hearing, please complete the relevant section of the Submission Coversheet. All submissions and all information provided at the Hearing will be treated as public documents.
If you have any questions regarding the proposed changes to the residential zones, please contact Strategic Planning Unit on 8470 8768.
If you have any questions regarding the Advisory Committee, how to make a submission or the public hearing, please contact Jessica Cutting, Senior Project Manager at Planning Panels Victoria on 8392 6383 or jessica.cutting@dtpli.vic.gov.au

Yours sincerely

Darren Rudd
Manager City Development

Darebin Satisfaction Survey Dumped

I was asked to comment for an article in the Melbourne Times/Weekly about Darebin dropping a feedback survey.

I am concerned that the council seem to be pulling back from their promises of a more transparent, responsive and consultative council.

If you are also concerned and want to have a say, here is the article, and links below:

Darebin council dumps resident satisfaction survey

Darebin City Council will abandon a popular resident satisfaction survey.

The council voted last Monday to opt out of next year’s survey, which is conducted by JWS Research through telephone interviews with residents.

In 2013, the council scored no higher than 68 out of 100 in the range of categories surveyed and ranked in the bottom half of the Inner Melbourne Metropolitan section, which includes councils Yarra, Moreland, Banyule, Boroondara and Melbourne.

Darebin hired La Trobe Business School Associate Professor Kevin Brown to review the survey and its methodology. Professor Brown determined that the survey was unrepresentative of the municipality, with renters, younger residents and those from cultural and linguistic diverse communities less likely to be interviewed.

The 2013 survey was the first conducted since the council was swamped by allegations of conflicts of interest and was the focus of a report by the Victorian Ombudsman.

Although his report was never publicly released, Ombudsman George Brouwer published some of the findings in his annual report, tabled in August. It revealed the former council was fractured and some councillors had misused entitlements including mobile phones, taxi vouchers and IT equipment.

Darebin Appropriate Development Association spokeswoman Maria Poletti slammed the council’s decision to opt out of the satisfaction survey. “All they’re doing is saying we don’t want to take notice of the feedback,” she said. “When we voted this council in, there was a lot of talk about transparency. And in light of this, I don’t know whether that is happening.”

Corporate and planning services director Paul Crapper said at least one other council has also dropped out of next year’s survey and some others are undecided. “We can obtain the same performance data from other existing sources, such as the annual Darebin Community Survey. Some of this data is benchmarked against other municipalities.”

The department of planning and community development commissions the survey, which covered 71 out of 79 of the state’s municipal councils this year.

The survey is designed to measure resident satisfaction in council services and programs. It revealed the most important issues in Darebin were elderly support services and traffic management.

Comments can be left below or at the weekly review web site..

Source: theweeklyreviewmelbournetimes.com.au By Alana Schetzer | 14:25:PM 20/11/2013