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Since the 2012 rezoning under the last Liberal State Government, the current Government has promised many things which have, in turn, delivered very little.
What they delivered is a "fairer" structure plan, reduced maximum heights and densities, increased development and social housing contributions, coupled with a failure to invest in enabling infrastructure. All of this has led to virtually nothing – in fact, a retreat from existing commitments. The latest being University of Melbourne pushing back a significant investment in a new campus
The built form thus far almost exclusively comprises permits granted before the Structure Plan Amendment was completed, given these were approvals with conditions that could not be repeated.
Instead of thriving, the area sits on the edge of the Melbourne CBD, mostly unloved and inactive. There have been 13 years for Department of Transport and Planning to fix this – and there's only so long you can keep blaming Matthew Guy for the initial decision.
—- Edit: some quotes from an earlier The Age article (https://lnkd.in/gM-r6e7J):
Data collected by property research group Charter Keck Cramer shows that since Fishermans Bend was rezoned in 2012, only 13 residential property projects have been completed, delivering 2164 new apartments. Four are under construction, delivering another 1290 apartments.
But over the same period, 36 projects – which would have created 12,781 new apartments – have been “abandoned”, meaning they reached at least to the planning stage but did not progress, including because the developer sold the project, withdrew their permit application, or let their permit expire.
It's not lost on me that some 40,000 total dwellings and 40,000 jobs could be activated and connected in Fisherman's Bend for roughly $1 billion, compared with just 25,000 (extra) dwellings in #suburbanrailloop precincts for a spend closer to $60 billion. It's, as usual, amazing to observe how politics gets in the way of investment sense.
🤔I am not invested in Fisherman's Bend; I just find it an interesting example of how these big precinct ideas continually fail to become reality under current planning directions. It does not bode well for SRL Precincts or the Activity Centres.