SUBMISSION TO GROWTH AREAS AUTHORITY: URBAN GROWTH BOUNDARY REVIEW

 

 The 1968-71 metropolitan planning process officially established nine Green Wedges as non-urban zones between Melbourne's main urban development corridors. It outlined acceptable non-urban uses, including recreation, flora and fauna conservation, landscape protection, resource utilization and farming. The protection of public land and of public open space - including Crown and public authority land - is integral to the first two of these uses, but not necessarily to the others.

 

These non-urban zones, together with metropolitan parks and other fringe areas of special significance play a vital role in protecting areas which are critical for Melbourne's future as a livable city. They have been further protected by legislative and planning provisions introduced as part of Melbourne 2030, which added a further three green wedges and an Urban Growth Boundary. The outer boundaries of the municipal councils with green wedges were thereby defined as the boundary of the Greater Metropolitan Area.  

 

The Green Wedges were to be Melbourne's breathing spaces, to separate the urban development designed to be confined to the transport corridors. But while development spread out along the transport corridors, there was increasing pressure on municipal councils to permit the development of the Green Wedges for residential and industrial uses. Hence in May 2002, representatives of the main environment or Green Wedge defender groups in each of Melbourne's nine green wedges formed the Green Wedges Coalition to make representations to State Government and to the Opposition for green wedge protection. (Attached please find the Green Wedges Charter which outlines the history of green wedges and our analysis of what policies are needed for their protection.

 

 

 

In this we were successful when the State Government announced green wedge protection policies before the 2002 election is to protect Melbourne’s green wedges from subdivision and inappropriate urban uses. Opposition support for the green wedge protection legislation passed through the Legislative Assembly before the 2002 election meant support was bipartisan. 

 

We now have 162 environmental and community group members, including resident, ratepayer and progress associations and strong community support, coordinated by the peak environment coalition or green wedge protection or defender group in 10 of Melbourne’s 12 green wedges and by prominent environment group representatives in the wedges without such an umbrella group. (Please see attached our membership contact list.)  

 

 

 

The UGB changes proposed in the Melbourne @ 5 million report will in our view seriously erode the green wedges. It is proposed to excise a further 22,855 ha from the green wedges. The proposed land-grab contradicts the Government’s 2005 promise when 11,500 ha was excised from the green wedges, that it would last until 2030. 

 

It also contradicts

-          the recommendation of the Melbourne 2030 Audit, that there was no need for any further review of the UGB for at least five years, and

-          undertakings in letters signed by the Minister and a senior officer just weeks before the Government’s Melbourne @ 5 million announcement that no review of the UGB was then underway. (following.)

-          The Minister’s undertaking to us that he would not undermine any of the achievements of his predecessors, eg that the Calder Highway would not become a new Growth Corridor and that the UGB around Sunbury would not be moved.

 

This is the most serious assault on Green Wedges since 2003, possibly since they were inaugurated in 1971. It brings into question the question of whether Government has any commitment to Melbourne 2030 or to protect green wedges. Our Coalition has loyally supported State Government and Melbourne 2030 since the Green Wedge Protection Policy was launched but we wonder whether there is any point as no-one seems to be listening to anything we say or to have any continuing concern for green wedge protection.

 

Does Government still support Melbourne 2030? And what commitment does it have to protecting green wedges? Forgive our cynicism but there is much confusion and concern in the community and in our view the affirmations contained in the “Melbourne @ 5 million” planning “update” ring very hollow indeed.

 

 

3.2 Bushfires. 

Last week’s tragic bushfire losses are a reminder of the risks run by those who live on and beyond the urban fringe and, we hope a reminder to urban planners and to Government of the peril in allowing untrammelled low density residential development on the urban fringes.

 

What does seem to us to be clear is that fire risk will be minimised if State Government:

-          requires rigorous minimum density standards for residential developments on greenfields sites and on substantial infill sites (eg on former industrial land) in existing urban and growth corridors where the amenity of existing residents is not adversely affected;

-          reverses plans to extend the UGB into current green wedge areas of fire risk;

-          initiates firm planning controls to discourage or prevent the building of more houses in areas of bushfire risk, backed by a buyback of bush blocks in green wedge as recommended by recent RMIT research which identified 17,000 vacant small lots on old and inappropriate subdivisions in the Bendigo corridor.

-          strategically plans such buybacks so as to be added on to national and local parkland and to add to the store of public open space needed for the projected expanding future populations.

-          encourages prospective landholders who want cleared land to purchase cleared land and not to use bushfires as an excuse for wholesale clearing of private properties or public land.

 

We submit that there is a need for an ongoing monitoring authority to oversee the protection of green wedges and public lands. This proposal builds on our earlier submission to the Melbourne 2030 Audit for the establishment of a Green Wedges Authority, similar to the Growth Areas Authority, which does a good job of promoting and governing the process of development in the growth corridors.

We now suggest that this idea be broadened into a Green Wedges and Public Lands Authority. This should cover existing Crown and other public lands in urban as well as green wedge areas and could also require the provision of open space in growth areas and urban areas currently under-provided. It should have oversight over the performance of Councils, State and Commonwealth Government departments and instrumentalities and VCAT and should play a coordinating role between such agencies to ensure that more public lands do not fall between the cracks of public policy as the Laverton Grasslands and Moorabbin Golf Course have done. 

 

 

Yours faithfully

 

Rosemary West

Coordinator,

Green Wedges Coalition

(incorporated as the Green Wedges Guardians Alliance)

 

Attached to subsequent email:
 1.    Green Wedges Charter ( giving a brief history of green wedges and summarising our current

        concerns and policies).

2.    Green Wedges Coalition membership contact list (for each green wedge). 

3. “Reasons why the UGB Expansion Plans are seriously flawed,” by Jenni Bundy (February 2009)