Tuesday, 20 June 2023

 David LIMBRICK (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (21:04): (288) My adjournment matter today is for the attention of the Minister for Planning. Earlier this evening something significant occurred at Maribyrnong council. Whilst I do not often comment on local government issues and while this is not in my electorate of South-Eastern Metro Melbourne, I hope this represents the turning of the tide when it comes to our planning system in Victoria. The council rejected a heritage overlay that would have covered about 900 homes. This followed campaigning from locals, some of whom had recently purchased homes, including one resident who recently discovered that their property would be worth $300,000 less under a heritage overlay.

For far too long heritage consultants, architecture enthusiasts and nimbys have held too much sway over our planning system, ensuring restrictive planning overlays such as the heritage scheme proposed in Footscray interfered with other people’s properties and diminished the amount of homes available in suburbs where people want to live. There have been a lot of comments on housing affordability lately, and while some of the proposals may have some small effect, the reality of housing is that if we want more affordable homes available we need more housing supply. Indeed councillors at Maribyrnong do seem to have had an epiphany over the debate in their local government area, recognising that we may have had the balance wrong or at least that we need to reconsider how we balance different needs in planning.

I commend the residents of Footscray and surrounding areas that have campaigned against this change being imposed on them, and I commend the burgeoning yimby movement, who are providing a rational counterargument to the ‘just say no’ attitude to planning. I also commend the elected representatives of Maribyrnong council for making the right decision. My request to the minister is to review these planning schemes and ensure that any changes, in particular to broad heritage overlays, prioritise private property rights and increasing housing supply.