Planning Minister announces new controls for Fishermans Bend

planning minister Richard Wynne has announced new development controls for Fishermans Bend with a focus on social housing, three bedroom apartments and more commercial and community uses in certain precincts.

In a media release distributed on Sunday morning, the new controls are:

• If buildings taller than 12 levels are proposed, the developers will be encouraged to make 6% of the total unit stock available for social housing.
• Similarly, in 12+ level proposals, developers are encouraged to configure at 30% of total unit stock as three bedroom apartments.
• In Lorimer and Montague precincts, buildings taller than 2 levels will be expected to include at least 15% of floor space for commercial and community use.

We need our new neighbourhoods to have a good mix of small and large apartments with social housing and commercial space.

Developers who want to build projects in properly planned precincts, who want to build neighbourhoods with some longevity, have got the opportunity to be part of the biggest urban renewal opportunity in the country.

Landowners wanting to sell off applications for maximum profit with no regard to the long-term will have to work a bit harder.

planning minister Richard Wynne

The interim controls which had discretionary height limits between 4 and 40 levels were introduced last year whilst detailed neighbourhood environmental precinct plans were underway. The discretionary height limits will now be mandatory and applied to every existing development application currently under assessment.

The mandatory controls which also include new building setbacks will be in place until final neighbourhood plans are set in late 2008. There are currently 21 proposals under assessment in Fishermans Bend at present.

A spokesperson for the Minister added some clarity around the language used in the media release, that developers are 'encouraged' to make 6% of units available for social housing:

• Whilst the discretionary height limit controls (4-40 levels) are now mandatory and will remain in place until the neighbourhood plans are set in stone in late 2018, the social housing components are discretionary until this time as well.
• Discretionary, in this sense, means that the Minister - as the responsible authority for Fishermans Bend - will look more favourably on new (or revamped existing) proposals which include a social housing component.
• The Victorian Government is seeking to encourage the development community to forge relationships with social housing providers and overall will take a view on the market's response before implementing mandatory controls when the neighbourhood plans come into force in late 2018.