Council calls for consultation on major housing and planning reforms

Published on 20 December 2024

The City of Whittlesea’s newly elected councillors will write to the Minister for Planning seeking significant consultation both with Council and the community on the Victorian Government’s key housing reforms.

At Tuesday’s Council Meeting, Councillors were briefed on a range of State Government initiatives designed to increase housing supply and improve affordability.

The reforms, contained in the Victoria’s Housing Statement: The Decade Ahead 2024-2034 policy, sets a target of building 800,000 new homes across the state in the next decade.

The statement also outlines the government’s intention to reform the planning system through a new Plan for Victoria and increase housing choice through the Activity Centre Program.

Council’s submission on Plan for Victoria contained 45 recommendations, ranging from improved transport links such as delivering Wollert Rail, better bus services and the E6 freeway, to incorporating better sustainability outcomes in new developments, such as more tree planting and integrated water management.

Council also recommended setting social housing targets based on the needs of each municipality and called for larger developments to include a minimum of 15 per cent of affordable housing.

Victoria’s Housing Statement identified Epping as one of 10 activity centres in which an additional 60,000 homes will be built within a decade.

The Epping Activity Centre is a key location for employment, housing and health, retail and education services, supporting more than 10,000 jobs and 4000 residents.

In its submission on the Activity Centre Program, Council requested that the Epping Central Structure Plan, led by Council in consultation with the community and stakeholders, be the basis for the new city centre.

Council requested further time to allow for community consultation and the newly elected Council to understand, test and make a submission on the proposed planning controls.

In October, the government made a further series of announcements on proposed housing and planning reforms through its ‘More Homes More Opportunity’ plan, including a potentially significant change to the development contributions system.

Amid concern about the lack of information and potential for the changes to affect the delivery of critical community infrastructure, Councillors resolved to write to the Minister for Planning to seek assurance Council could provide expert input into the development of the proposed reform.

Quotes attributable to City of Whittlesea Mayor, Councillor Aidan McLindon:

“The State Government has announced a number of major planning reforms and we need to be confident these changes are carefully considered, thoroughly tested and will not have unintended consequences,” he said.

“It is critical that growing communities are supported with the infrastructure they need such as public transport, parks and community facilities.

“We want to ensure the government is consulting not only with councils but also the community as we work together to meet the current and future housing needs in our communities."