Hansard debates

Mr CARBINES (Ivanhoe) (18:30:33) — Can I just say that, in relation to planning and environment matters generally and our wideranging contribution in relation to distinctive areas and landscapes, my thanks in particular go to the Minister for Planning on the work that we have done in relation to the Ivanhoe structure plan. The Ivanhoe structure plan had height limits that were not mandatory, despite a great deal of work that was done by Banyule City Council; by Save Ivanhoe, the residents group; and by many other residents groups in my community. When in opposition, we opposed the original Ivanhoe structure plan draft that was put out by the previous Banyule City Council. We said that it did not go far enough and that it did not protect the local amenity and the neighbourhood character of the Ivanhoe community. That draft Ivanhoe structure plan put out by the pro-development Banyule City Council of the time was then dumped by the then mayor, Peter McKenna, a former staff member to the Leader of the Opposition before he quit the Liberal Party, probably in disgust.

Then we went on to see the revised Ivanhoe draft structure plan, which can I say was also supported by Peter McKenna as the mayor, who did some good work there. We went out on that draft structure plan — people gave up their weekends, they gave up their weeknights, they did a hell of a lot of work, and the planning minister at the time in the other place, who now of course is the Leader of the Opposition, would not provide mandatory heights in that Ivanhoe structure plan and decided that the structure plan for Ivanhoe would not have mandatory heights. So what effect did all that work done by the community have on determining what their aspirations were, on ensuring they had guidelines that could be affirmed by the council, by the state government and by VCAT and other authorities, and on ensuring that neighbourhood character is protected in Ivanhoe? We could not secure mandatory heights as part of that structure plan from those opposite — they would simply be guidelines, and we all know what happens with guidelines in this place.

Guidelines frustrate people. They do not have the effect in the local community that we would expect, so what we needed to rely on then was the election of the Andrews Labor government. We again went back to the community, and we said, 'Mandatory heights — we're sick and tired of public meetings, we're sick and tired of community organisations wading through bucketloads of paperwork and red tape, spending all of their spare time on this; when they get home from work and after they've cooked dinner for their families, they have to get together with local community representatives and wade their way through reams of paper and red tape to try to secure neighbourhood character guidelines and neighbourhood character aspirations in a planning scheme and a structure plan that those opposite in government refused to give full effect of the law to'.

We had meetings with the member for Richmond, the Minister for Planning, and several organisations in my community at the historic Heidelberg town hall — that magnificent Art Deco town hall which has been the seat of Banyule City Council deliberations for many years. We met with many of those local organisations who have done a power of work for so many years, and of course in engaging local communities you need to give them confidence and respect, and give effect to the decisions that they make and affirm them when you are a legislator.

What we asked for very clearly and concisely — all we really wanted for all the work that we had done — was that the Ivanhoe structure plan ruled a very clear line right across Darebin Creek, right across the Yarra River and right across the Plenty River and made it very clear to developers: 'If you step into the Banyule City Council area in Ivanhoe, there are very clear mandatory height rules that we expect you to obey and abide by when you come into this community to seek to make a profit. If you're not prepared to do that, not only will we fight you, not only will we take you to task, but we'll have the full force of the planning laws to support us'.

The planning minister took this on board, went away with his department, did some further work and was able to come back and announce last year that full effect would be given under the planning scheme to the Ivanhoe structure plan, with mandatory heights across the Ivanhoe activity area. This is very significant and just iconic in securing what makes Ivanhoe attractive to people who have lived here for decades and built the community — our Heidelberg Historical Society and those who have made contributions for many years — but also those newer generations who seek and strive to live in the community in which they were raised and find that particularly challenging and difficult because Ivanhoe these days, whether we like it or not, is really an inner-suburban community. It is not inner city, but it is certainly inner suburban. While that brings attractions in terms of the value of that community when you put a dollar figure on it, it also brings with it congestion, planning pressures and the desire from others across Melbourne to live there and be part of it.

But if you do not protect what you have got, you will lose sight of what attracts people to be part of it in the first place. Giving effect to the interim planning mandatory heights for the Ivanhoe structure plan made that very clear and killed off some very significant and diabolical planning applications for significant high-rise density in the Ivanhoe community. That has given great confidence to the community to continue to work with the government and with Banyule City Council to ensure that in the planning scheme there are ongoing mandatory heights in the Ivanhoe structure plan. That work is currently underway.

We have seen from Banyule City Council, including in my meetings with them recently, that they are not looking to expand or change the area that is covered by that Ivanhoe structure plan but just seeking to secure all the work that people have done over several years so that will move from now interim mandatory heights to having that in the long term. I am confident that we will continue to do that work. We have indicated that we will see that work through. What we have been able to do is immediately and effectively stop high-rise developments that thumb their nose at what previously were interim height guidelines and are now interim height limits in relation to Ivanhoe. Those matters have now been affirmed by the government, which has held at bay several planning applications and seen some hit the fence. Developers have gone back to the drawing board to pay due respect to the community and due respect to the work that we have done to give effect to those mandatory heights in the Ivanhoe structure plan. We have told those developers to go back to the drawing board, to respect the community and to come back with heights that are acceptable right across the Ivanhoe activity centre.

What is also important of course is that we get good design — height is one thing — and the community will now need to work very hard, as we do, in relation to good design. Developers cannot get away with thinking they can obfuscate, carry on and duck and weave, trading off good design for some financial windfall in terms of height. I am confident that it has always been our government that has affirmed neighbourhood character in Ivanhoe, that has secured interim mandatory heights for the Ivanhoe structure plan, that has pushed away poor development and that has sent a very clear signal that if you come into Ivanhoe, you have to respect our community, respect our neighbourhood character and deliver under the Ivanhoe structure plan designs and heights that meet our mandatory interim height requirements. We are going to work in the coming months to ensure that those mandatory heights are ongoing.

I am thankful to the Minister for Planning for his work and understanding in relation to these matters. As he is an inner-city representative and I am an inner-suburban representative, we share a lot of the same issues and aspirations in our communities. We know what the great attractions are for living in electorates or communities like Richmond and Ivanhoe, and we know that if you are going to protect it, you have got to back it in.

What we do know is that in government the Leader of the Opposition refused to provide mandatory heights in Ivanhoe. There was a nod and a wink and a guideline, 'Do what you like as a developer'. It has been a Labor government that has stood up to developers, stood with the community and backed in mandatory heights in Ivanhoe. We will continue to do that and secure the neighbourhood character for the future of Ivanhoe.