Baillieu Government gives green light to a new high rise tower in Williamstown
8th February 2012
BAILLIEU GOVERNMENT GIVES GREEN LIGHT TO A NEW HIGH RISE TOWER IN WILLIAMSTOWN
The Baillieu Government has today used their majority in the Parliament to approve a planning scheme amendment that will pave the way for a new high rise residential development at the Woollen Mills site in Williamstown says Member for Williamstown, Wade Noonan MP.
This decision sets new planning controls for the site and paves the way for the developer to lodge a planning permit application with the Hobsons Bay City Council.
“Local people won’t ever forget that it was the Baillieu Government that removed mandatory height controls for this site and waived any requirement for the developer to pay for footpaths or a bus shelter,” Mr Noonan said.
“The Baillieu Government might say that they are handing back the decision making power to the Council but any decision will need to comply with Minister Guy's planning conditions."
“The developer can now quite legally pursue 15 storey towers for the site and argue their case all the way through to VCAT.”
Mr Noonan stated that the two Upper House Liberal Members in Andrew Elsbury and Bernie Finn helped deliver the Government the numbers on the floor of the Parliament to pass this planning amendment.
“During the course of this debate, the Liberal Members attacked a local journalist, the Save Williamstown Group, Opposition MPs and labelled the process a waste of the Parliament’s time,” Mr Noonan said.
“Having promised to stop high rise developments in Williamstown before the last State Election, the Baillieu Government must now explain why they ignored the key recommendations of the Planning Advisory Committee.”
“This is the greatest act of betrayal by the Baillieu Government and local people won’t ever forget what they’ve done.”
The Woollen Mills planning scheme amendment was passed in the Legislative Council of the Victorian Parliament after a division returned a 20 to 18 vote.
6th February 2012
VICTORIAN LIBERALS BREAK MAJOR ELECTION PROMISE OVER WILLIAMSTOWN HIGH RISE
Labor will take the fight over the future development of the Woollen Mills site in Williamstown all the way to the Parliament this week amid claims by Member for Williamstown, Wade Noonan MP, that the Baillieu Government had broken a major election promise to oppose high rise developments in Williamstown.
Mr Noonan today said that prior to the 2010 State Election the Liberal Party distributed thousands of leaflets across Williamstown stating that “the community does not want rampant high rise developments in our area.” The leaflet also stated that the Liberal Party’s candidate, David McConnell, would “fight to ensure the unique character of our neighbourhood is protected.”
Despite the Liberal Party’s opposition before the last State Election, the Victorian Planning Minister will this week rush a planning amendment through the Victorian Parliament which will relax the planning controls for the Woollen Mills site and pave the way for high rise development.
“The Liberal Party explicitly campaigned against high rise development in Williamstown at the last State Election,” said Mr Noonan.
“Despite the very clear promise to fight against high rise developments in Williamstown, the Baillieu Government’s planning amendment will deliver the area’s first new residential towers in decades.”
“Local people can make up their own minds about whether the Baillieu Government is really fighting to protect the unique character of our neighbourhood.”
Late last year, an independent Planning Committee recommended that mandatory height limits be set for the Woollen Mills site. The Committee also recommended a mandatory community infrastructure levy be imposed on the developer and that an independent Design Review Panel be appointed to guide the design of the buildings.
“Rather than accepting the recommendation to adopt mandatory planning controls, the Minister is creating ‘indicative’ controls, which he knows is a green light for the developer to go for broke,” said Noonan said.
“The Planning Minister is making himself out to be a hero by suggesting that the Baillieu Government is handing back planning control to the Council, but the truth is that Minister Guy’s planning amendment will not prevent the developer from pursuing a 25-storey development at the site,” Mr Noonan said.
“By removing the mandatory height controls for the Woollen Mills site, Minister Guy is really saying the sky’s the limit for this development.”
“If the Baillieu Government was serious about stopping high rise development in Williamstown, they would not be removing mandatory height controls for the Woollen Mills site.”
Minister Guy’s planning amendment for the Woollen Mills is expected to be debated on Wednesday, with the outcome to be determined by a vote on the floor of the Victorian Parliament. Liberal Upper House MPs, Bernie Finn and Andrew Elsbury will both be eligible to vote on the site’s future. The Labor Opposition will oppose the planning amendment.
30 November 2011
Hon. Matthew Guy Minister for Planning Victorian Government
By email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Dear Minister,
RE: FORMER PORT PHILLIP WOOLLEN MILLS SITE - WILLIAMSTOWN (AMENDMENT C86 – DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OVERLAY SCHEDULE 11)
I urgently write to you regarding your decision to intervene and rezone the former Port Phillip Woollen Mills site in Williamstown and apply the Design and Development Overlay Schedule 11 (DDO 11) without consultation with the Hobsons Bay City Council.
As you would well appreciate, this development site has been the subject of much community interest in the Williamstown area, particularly among local residents and industry.
The previous Planning Minister established a Planning Advisory Committee to assist with recommending planning controls for the site. Together with Joan Kirner and Shelley Penn, I submitted a 183-page submission which included additional planning and heritage evidence from Rob Milner and Helen Lardner. In all, there were more than a dozen references to our submission contained within the Advisory Committee's final report (released earlier this week).
I have already publicly stated that I believe the Advisory Committee's final report was considered and fair.
The Committee made a range of very sensible recommendations and included at Appendix 5 of the Report a "Committee Preferred DDO". This model DDO captured in detail the various controls that arise from the Committee's package of recommendations.
In an extremely disappointing turn of events, it now seems that you have decided to disregard a number of the Advisory Committee's key recommendations by watering down the terms of your proposed DDO 11 for this site. In my view, you have demonstrated a disregard for the Committee's expertise and advice, and failed to offer any explanation as to why you have departed from the key recommendations to set mandatory height controls and developer contributions.
Of particular concern is your unwillingness to include a specialist Design Review Panel chaired by the Victorian Government Architect as part of your DDO 11. Again, this is a departure from the Committee's Preferred DDO. A Design Review Panel would not only deliver good design and good community engagement, but it would also recognise the importance of this site's significance to Victoria.
I submit to you that your decision to scrap a number of the key recommendations contained in the Advisory Committee's Preferred DDO, such as mandatory height limits, developer contributions (worth at least $300,000), and the appointment of a Design Review Panel are a deliberate strategy to relax the planning controls for the site.
Therefore, I would urge you to reconsider your approach and not ram through this Amendment C86 until a proper explanation is provided to local residents and industry as to why you're prepared to drop some of the most important planning safeguards for this site as part of your DDO 11.
Failure to respond favourably to this reasonable request would confirm that you have disregarded the Committee's expertise and advice.
Worse still, you've packaged this to the media in such a way to mislead people into thinking that local democracy will prevail. You are quoted in the Herald Sun on 28th November as saying, “The Government was elected on a platform of giving more power to Councils and we mean it”. I find it interesting then that the Hobsons Bay City Council has today said that they are “deeply disappointed with the Minister for Planning's decision on the future of the former Port Phillip Woollen Mills". Perhaps they’re not buying your line on this.
Contrary to what you might say Minister, this decision to set the planning controls for the Woollen Mills site still firmly rests on your shoulders.
Yours sincerely,
Wade Noonan MP
Member for Williamstown
