Council recently considered a series of four draft SRL East Structure Plans and Planning Scheme Amendments for the Victorian Government’s Suburban Rail Loop Precinct Planning programme.

Council continues to be supportive of the SRL, both as a rail project and precinct planning project.

However. our submission highlights Council’s key concerns and missed opportunities to get the most out of the project for our community. Some of the key issues raised with the draft planning provisions relate to:

• a lack of certainty, clarity, and direction in the Structure Plans

• the large difference between the number of dwellings forecast in the plans and the capacity estimates that the planning controls make possible

• the negative financial implications and impact of a Windfall Gains Tax liability on small businesses and Council

• the significant difference between the SRL forecast population growth and the municipal housing targets in Plan for Victoria

• the absence of a requirement for affordable housing in the Structure Plan areas

• the reliance on Council landholdings and facilities to meet future community infrastructure needs

• no requirement for new development to contribute to community infrastructure shown in the Structure Plans, and

• no new public open space overall, leading to a reduction of available open space.

Council has asked that the Victorian Government and SRLA work closely with Council to address these issues both for the future of the SRL precincts and for the long-term interest of the community of Monash.

To read our submission and related Council report in full, click here.