Thursday, 30 October 2025

 Paul HAMER (Box Hill) (17:36): (1388) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Planning. The action that I seek is for the minister to ensure that draft and final planning zones and boundaries for the Blackburn activity centre are consistent with the SLO1 and SLO2 significant landscape overlays.

Recently the minister joined me, the local ward councillor and the president of the Bellbird Residents Advocacy Group for a walk through this magnificent part of Melbourne. I want to thank the minister for visiting this area and getting a firsthand appreciation of its unique environment. Blackburn is not just another suburb, it is a place of heritage, character and natural beauty. The Bellbird area, protected under the SLO1 and SLO2 overlays, is a living testament to the community’s commitment to environmental stewardship over many years. Indeed many of the mature trees that contribute to this landscape were planted decades ago by residents who still live in this area. These overlays are not arbitrary. They were established to safeguard the unique tree canopy, streetscape and ambience that define Blackburn’s identity.

The overlays include strict development controls that prioritise vegetation protection and low-rise homes. I and the Blackburn community welcome the minister’s commitment to me that the significant landscape overlays that protect these areas will not be removed or amended as part of the activity centre planning work that is currently underway. At the moment the zoning complements these development controls to ensure that the environment remains protected. If the zoning were to allow more intensive development, it may be inconsistent with the overlay and undermine decades of careful planning and community advocacy.

Let me be clear: most people that I have spoken to in Blackburn recognise and support the need for additional housing in appropriate parts of their suburb. They do not buy into the scare campaigns run by the opposition that there should be no activity centre in Blackburn, which completely ignores the fact that Blackburn was identified as an activity centre more than 20 years ago. However, many in my community are concerned that any changes in zoning within the SLO1 and SLO2 areas could undermine the existing protections, including the loss of mature trees. Such a change would also be at odds with the government’s stated policy of increasing tree canopy cover and the sustainability goals of increasing new housing close to existing infrastructure. I look forward to the minister’s response.