Frustrated with the Moreland CC survey consulting us on the 3 new residential zones? Cant find the questions which give you the chance to say what you really want to say? Heres a solution sent to us by a Save Coburg member. Add a submission to your survey response, or use the comments section/s to get your point across. Thank you for posting your submission to share with others here, Save Coburger. Great work! : I would like to provide the following comments in response to the Moreland Council’s new residential zones, activity centres and MSS. When discussing the new residential zones with a council officer we were assured that the proposed map for residential growth zones around activity centres was a discussion point, not a finished proposal and that the next step would be to speak to residents in their streets to discuss on a street by street basis where designating residential growth would be appropriate. I strongly believe that council officers should go and talk to residents ‘in situ’ in order to be able to fully understand the impact decisions will have on residents and to fully understand the views of residents. Looking at maps from an office is inadequate when making major decisions about where to permit additional residential growth. The prioritising of streets for residential growth that are within 800 metres from a shopping centre and/or 400 metres from public transport, is arbitrary. Any street in Moreland where the predominant character consists of one or two storey residential properties, regardless of proximity to shops and public transport, should be considered on a case by case basis as to which residential zone is allocated. I believe that (the current) Residential 1 zone areas around principal activity centres (PAC) (in Coburg especially) must be Residential Neighbourhood Zones, rather than the Residential Growth Zones as proposed. These areas, consisting largely of single storey family homes, require much more protection than Council has afforded them in the draft proposal. Without a boundary around a PAC the profusion of higher buildings will proliferate and just spread unchecked across Moreland, to the detriment of residents. While I understand the need to cater for increases in population through additional housing and the need to locate these around existing shopping malls, I ask that Council provide additional information on how infrastructure will be increased in line with the population increase. From the Victorian government practice notes 78 provided to local councils, my understanding is that the Neighbourhood Residential Zone has been proposed to ‘restrict housing growth’ and protect ‘identified neighbourhood character’ and may be appropriate for ‘areas where single dwellings prevail’ and ‘change is not identified’. Outside of the PAC I believe much of Moreland falls into this category. Council needs to recognise this in its decisions so that neighbourhood character can be retained. Even in streets adjacent to good public transport the ‘preservation of character’ should be given equal weight in determining planning decisions. I ask that Moreland do not push for excessive development. Residents I have consulted with do not believe that in the past Moreland Council has listened to the views of residents or considered local circumstances and infrastructure when making planning decisions. I ask Council to truly listen to the views of residents over the roll out of the new zones and listen to resident preferences about the character of their neighbourhood when applying the neighborhood residential zone. ... (cont)
Posted on: Wed, 23 Oct 2013 08:30:29 +0000