Council has urged the State Government to ensure the Mornington Peninsula's unique character and development constraints are reflected in its new Plan for Victoria strategic plan and housing targets.
Plan for Victoria will replace Plan Melbourne and contain strategic directions for the future planning of Victoria's cities, suburbs, towns and regions. The draft housing target the State Government has released for the Mornington Peninsula Shire is 31,000 dwellings by 2051 (or 1,148 new homes per year over the next 27 years).
Council's submission on the draft plan emphasises the need to ensure the Peninsula's Urban Growth Boundary and Green Wedge are fully preserved and that vulnerable coasts on both Port Phillip Bay and Western Port Bay, as well as bushfire prone areas and our lack of public transport, are given full consideration when setting the final housing target for our region.
The submission acknowledges that the current draft housing target for the Peninsula is consistent with Council's adopted Housing and Settlement Strategy and proposed Planning Scheme Amendment C219morn (1,200 new homes per year for the next 15 years).
Council has used the submission to highlight its top priorities for the Peninsula:
- Accommodating population growth in housing that is affordable, diverse and allows people to age in place.
- Delivering required infrastructure in a timely manner and implementing a mechanism to fund this infrastructure.
- Stronger emphasis on climate change risk mitigation in settlement planning and built form.
- Protection of the Mornington Peninsula Green Wedge.
We are supportive of initiatives to address the state-wide housing crisis and have consistently advocated for urgent investment in social and affordable housing and homelessness support services.
For this reason, our submission reiterates the need for the timely planning and release of Port of Hastings zoned land for alternative uses. The large areas of surplus land could be used for new housing, agriculture, conservation areas and industrial precincts to support the energy transition.
There is limited land available for residential and industrial expansion on the Mornington Peninsula so this land within the urban growth boundary has the potential to deliver homes and employment opportunities for the whole region.
The long-term planning of this precinct is becoming more time critical, with the imminent release of the updated Port of Hastings Development Strategy later this year.
We are also urging the State Government to better engage with local councils and have written to the Minister for Planning asking that a draft version of Plan for Victoria be provided to the Mornington Peninsula Shire Council (and all other Victorian councils) for comment before it is finalised.
The full submission can be found on our website: mornpen.vic.gov.au/state-government-submissions
Quotes attributable to Mayor Councillor Simon Brooks:
"We are keen to engage further with the State Government on its Plan for Victoria strategic plan. This is an important piece of work and requires extensive input and engagement with Victorian councils.
"Our priority for the Peninsula is for sustainable, manageable residential growth that preserves the unique character of our townships and ensures our mix of 30 per cent urban and 70 per cent rural land is retained.
"The Peninsula is not like metropolitan Melbourne. We have a range of challenges such as poor public transport, a fragile coastline that is vulnerable to the effects of climate change, and large areas of bushfire prone land.
"We will continue to advocate strongly to ensure the unique and special characteristics of our region are fully considered in the Victorian Government's long range strategic plan."
