Focus On Glen Waverley Ward
Cr Geoff Lake
Monash Bulletin - 17 October 2006
Focus On Glen Waverley Ward
Cr Geoff LakeThere has been much discussion over the past few years about Melbourne 2030. In the lead up to the coming state election it is likely that we'll be hearing a lot more. However, generally much of the hype that makes it into the media is misinformed and misses the point.
At its most basic, Melbourne 2030 is a policy that no one can really disagree with. Although it is a policy set by the current State Government, it represents a direction in planning that had its roots in the planing policies of the former Kennett Government.
The rationale is fairly simple and easily grasped. Melbourne must fit an estimated one million extra people into our city over the coming 25 years and must do so as we increasingly want to live in smaller sized households.
This equation presents two choices. On one side of the ledger is a choice to continue without a master plan and let Melbourne's growth continue to simply surge outwards at an uncontrolled rate. If we allow such unrestrained growth to continue, it will bring a range of urban amenity, basic infrastructure, financial and environmental effects that will have a significant and detrimental impact on how we live.
Alternatively, and this is the heart of 2030, we can attempt to constrain the growth of the physical footprint of Melbourne by encouraging higher density living in appropriate areas within the existing metropolitan boundary.
This does not mean putting our existing suburbs up for sale and turning leafy residential streets into inner city London. What it does mean is encouraging a more innovative and higher density range of housing options in key activity centres around railway stations, shops, entertainment and commercial hubs.
Although we are sometimes let down by decisions at VCAT, we are currently striking the right balance between defending our streets and meeting our share of the 2030 challenge.
Published: 17 October 2006
[ Up: Monash Bulletin 17 October 2006 | Forward: Giving Is Just The Norm ]