🚨Planning Nerd Alert 🚨
I’ve previously opined on the disappointment Plan for Victoria turned out to be. For ostensibly an overarching plan for the economic, housing and industry growth for a State the scale of Victoria, it’s little more than a flimsy, uncommercial puff piece full of motherhood statements.
An interesting part of the amendment process is the posting of “tracked changes” versions of documents. I will not profess to have reviewed each in detail, but those I have include some interesting tidbits. The areas I’ve honed in on relate to developable #landsupply and structure planning.
Interestingly, the supply of land is no longer an objective. Instead, “sufficient development opportunities” is the new measure.
It reiterates that “at least a 15-year supply of land and development capacity is available” and that plans must accommodate the (now legislated) #housingtargets.
These changes align with the government’s current approach of implementing sweeping zoning changes and activity centre plans, and then hoping for the best on supply, rather than looking critically at what is or will actually be #feasible now or in the future.
Whether results are measured against theoretical dwelling capacities in existing areas and activity centres vs. what is actually deliverable or delivered remains to be seen. Housing targets without defining a mix, typology or price point also remain useless.
Weirdly, monitoring development trends and land supply and demand for housing and industry has been struck out entirely. After all, why measure what people need and want and solve for that…? 🤔
On the structure planning side, there are several new considerations, such as: • protect and enhance areas of natural and cultural significance • address environmental risk and amenity • deliver a quality built form environment • support a diverse range of lot sizes and housing typologies • support economic development • deliver housing and population densities that make local services and transport viable
Elsewhere, affordable and social housing objectives are included for greenfield sites for the first time, and introducing the use of staging plans for public infrastructure delivery. 30 dwellings/ha around activity centres and 20/ha on average in new PSPs.
A combination of densifying greenfield areas, and slow down land releases as infrastructure invariably lags.
Lots of amendments for Activity Centres, Precincts, and of course #suburbanrailloop too.
❓For those who live and breathe planning, what else have you found so far?
🤔Does anyone think any of this is going to improve #housingaffordability?