Tuesday, 17 February 2026

 Richard WELCH (North-Eastern Metropolitan) (14:13): My constituency matter is for the Minister for Planning. Last week the government announced stage 2 plans for the activity centre project in my electorate in Blackburn. Despite overwhelming community feedback already opposing high-rise developments, the plan still proposes up to 16 storeys, casting long shadows across Blackburn and changing the community atmosphere in a way residents never asked for. These excessive heights threaten the community feel and the environment that residents value and have worked hard to protect. We have no less than a street full of six, seven, eight to 10-storey towers the full length of South Parade, and the plan still fails to address the core issue that this is entirely inappropriate overdevelopment that will change the nature of Blackburn for the worse forever. When will the government stop ignoring the clear message from locals that they do not want towers dominating the Blackburn skyline?