Thursday, 11 September 2025

North-Eastern Metropolitan Region housing

Richard WELCH (North-Eastern Metropolitan) (17:22): (1961) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Planning. This week a large number of activity centres had their precinct plan drafts presented and put out for consultation. There was obviously a lot of shock and surprise in that we had many, many sites with high-rises of 16 storeys being imposed on their communities. However, there was an anomaly. In my community in Blackburn we were promised we would go into consultation on this in June. It got pushed back to October. It turns out that, strangely and mysteriously, out of all these, the Blackburn draft precinct plan was held back.

We have been running a campaign to save Blackburn over the last few months. It might be heartening to think that perhaps we have caused pause for thought. But probably more realistically it is cause for worry, because we have no information and we do not know if the consultation is now going ahead without even seeing the precinct plan – the plan that shows us how many high-rises there are going to be and how tall they are going to be and what the scale of change is going to be in our community.

The community is anxious to know. I have raised this with you before – about providing us information wholly and completely and stopping presenting information in little salami slices that prevent people scrutinising the whole. When we go to consultation, my intention is that this community will be fully informed of all the implications so they can make an informed judgement about the suitability of this plan for their community. But I forewarn you – and I think you know – we do not want 10-, 12-, 16- or 20-storey towers in Blackburn. So the action I seek from you, Minister, is to now (a) without further delay release the precinct plan so the community can scrutinise it, and (b) please give the community clarity as to when you are actually going to consult.

I will also note that in Public Accounts and Estimates Committee hearings there was an assurance that all of these precinct plans would be approved by June next year. You are now running out of time for that process. Either you are going to meet that commitment or you are going to break it. If you do not provide Blackburn with their precinct plan, you are at risk of breaching that commitment.