Minister welcomes Boroondara support on housing diversity

The Minister for Planning and Local Government, Robert Maclellan, has welcomed the support of Boroondara City Council for a wider diversity of housing choices in the municipality.

Mr Maclellan said the council had assured him that while it did not oppose the Good Design Guide, interpretations of the guide had occasionally led to difficulties.

A delegation of Boroondara councillors and officers met with the Minister to discuss issues surrounding the Good Design Guide and demolition permits.

Mr Maclellan told the delegation that all councils should stringently enforce the requirement under the Guide that building applicants provide a detailed site analysis plan.

"I am pleased to learn that Boroondara City Council is comfortable with the decisions of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, and that the council is now taking a harder line in requiring better site analysis plans at the time of application," he said.

"As well, the council confirmed that it recognises the need for diversity and choice of housing within the municipality.

"Official figures show that 50 percent of people moving within the City of Boroondara came from the municipality or an immediate adjoining municipality, reflecting the changes in household structures.

"These people are the neighbours and friends of the people of Boroondara," he said.

Mr Maclellan said overlay provisions in the Victorian Planning Provisions, relating to vegetation control and heritage classification, offered further scope for council control.

"While councils should be clear and specific in defining areas in which such controls should apply, it is not appropriate to have blanket controls across the entire municipality," he said.

The Minister urged Boroondara City Council to continue working with the Department of Infrastructure and the local community through the council's resident initiative program.

(News Release, Office of the Minister for Planning, 18 February 1998)