Thursday, 28 November 2024

 Ellen SANDELL (Melbourne) (14:46): (946) My question today is for the Minister for Planning, and it comes on behalf of several constituents who have contacted my office about the planning permit application by Australian Property Trust to build a private hospital at 265–281 Errol Street in North Melbourne. The question is: will the government extend the timeline for community consultation on this matter and actually meaningfully consult with the local community on this change? This site is currently occupied by the Mercure hotel, and while I know many in North Melbourne would appreciate new health services, local residents received a very, very short timeframe for responding to this proposal. They were notified by the Department of Transport and Planning on 8 November and were told they need to respond by the 22nd. Residents are understandably concerned that two weeks is simply not enough time to consider such a detailed proposal that could have such a significant impact on our local community. Some of the concerns are about traffic, the height and the noise – (Time expired)