Posted 16/7/08

Melbourne 2030 AUDIT EXPERT GROUP REPORT, March 2008

Consolidated Recommendations

3.1.1 Imperative 1 – Responsibility for implementation

That the State Government creates new governance arrangements to ensure the responsibility, authority and visible leadership to oversee and coordinate the implementation of Melbourne 2030.  These arrangements will need support from State Government at the highest levels.

3.1.2 Imperative 2 – Adequate and ongoing funding

That the State Government ensures sufficient resources are allocated to the implementation of Melbourne 2030.  This could be done by:

• Adopting a multi-year plan to finance implementation.
• Revising budget processes to align resources to agreed Melbourne 2030 implementation actions.
• Identifying current and anticipated infrastructure requirements and ensuring funds are allocated to address these over the long term (60-90 years).
• Investing in improvements to community infrastructure and services in areas accommodating signifcant levels of growth in population and employment.
• Consolidating current work to ensure that before any sale of State Government land or assets is carried out, full consideration is given to opportunities to use publicly owned land for public benefits, such as social housing or community facilities. Disposal of land should occur on terms that produce the greatest overall community benefit.

3.1.3 Imperative 3 – Communicating and building support

Broaden support for Melbourne 2030’s implementation by developing a stronger partnership with local government and all sectors of the community to work together towards a more sustainable city.

There are two immediate opportunities to make this happen:

• Undertake new community engagement programs to focus on climate change adaptation.
• Involve communities in decisions on the application of the new residential zones.

3.2.1 Encouraging a diverse economy

That the State Government develops a metropolitan economic development and employment strategy to support Melbourne 2030 and improve the range of employment opportunities available across the metropolitan area.

Important considerations include:

• The future location of Government employment in metropolitan Melbourne and its potential to stimulate development of key activity centres.
• Opportunities to encourage the private sector to provide for office-based jobs in activity centres.
• The potential to reduce the pressure on the transport system by developing new employment concentrations in or close to centres on the Principal Public Transport Network.
• The need to improve equity of access to a range of employment opportunities.
• Retention of appropriate land in inner Melbourne to cater for new industrial, service and employment uses.
• Review of industrial and business zones to ensure that they cater effectively for high technology activities that may combine office uses and manufacturing.

3.2.2 Central and inner Melbourne

That the State Government places a high priority on resourcing the planning, infrastructure and community services necessary to improve the jobs – housing balance within inner Melbourne.

That the State Government develops a strong partnership with the inner Melbourne councils to provide financial support and coordination to assist them to implement the Inner Melbourne Action Plan, including the proposal to accommodate more than 90,000 additional dwellings in inner Melbourne by 2030.

3.2.3 Metropolitan activity centres

That the State Government establishes a new entity or new administrative arrangements to facilitate the rapid and focused development of a small number of selected principal or major activity centres and the metropolitan Transit Cities, and considers revised planning responsibilities for these centres.

That the State Government provides continued financial support and expert assistance to local government for planning and development of other principal and major activity centres, along with neighbourhood activity centres.

3.2.4 The established suburbs

That the State Government gives a high priority to encouraging new residential development in the established suburbs of Melbourne, while maintaining their liveability.

This can be assisted by:

• Establishing household growth targets for each municipality, in collaboration with local government and communities.
• Finalising and introducing the residential zones to provide greater certainty concerning anticipated built form outcomes and the degree of change likely in established areas.
• Assisting local government to identify ‘substantial change’, ‘incremental change’ and ‘limited change’ areas, in consultation with communities.
• Improving open space provision and services in line with population increases.

3.2.5 Growth Area planning

Ensure that Growth Area planning delivers sustainable new communities that can support public transport, minimise car dependence, provide local employment opportunities and conserve scarce resources such as water and energy.

Achieving this aim will be assisted by:

• Substantially increasing overall residential densities in Growth Areas.
• Providing greater variety in lot sizes and dwelling types.

3.2.6 The Urban Growth Boundary

Retain and strengthen the Urban Growth Boundary, while ensuring that an appropriate supply of development land is maintained over time in Growth Areas.

This can be achieved through:

• Maintaining the UGB without alteration for at least the next fve years, unless compelling circumstances arise.
• Developing a clear and transparent process for future reviews of the UGB.
• Ensuring that infrastructure providers can identify long-term requirements, beyond the current planning horizon.
• Reviewing the application of the Native Vegetation Framework within the UGB to ensure that it is not impacting adversely on achievement of ‘compact city’ objectives and the supply of development land within the boundary.

3.2.7 Networks with the regional cities

That the Victorian Government initiate, with some urgency, discussion with the Commonwealth and other state governments regarding the need for developing a long term national urban development strategy, in order to address the challenges faced by both capital and provincial cities. This could be introduced through the regular meetings of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG).

4. Transport and freight

That the State Government actively integrates transport planning with land use planning and development.

This can be done by:

• Developing capacity and structure for major transport infrastructure developments, in synchronisation with land use planning, with a 30 to 90 year lead-time.
• Setting targets and implementing programs for reduction in car use as a complement to the target of 20 per cent of motorised trips being made by public transport by 2020.
• Prioritising actions to support a rapid modal shift over the next fve years from car to public transport – tram, train and/or bus – and walking and cycling.

That priority is placed on completing and implementing the Victorian Freight and Logistics Strategy (started in 2002) and the Port Environs Plan for the Port of Melbourne (announced in 2004).

This would include:

• Potential for increasing rail freight.
• Identifying land for inter-modal hubs, to allow for freight redistribution.
• Clearly designated freight corridors, directing freight traffic away from sensitive areas, for more effective timing and allocation of road usage.
• Integrating freight considerations into all levels of transport and land use planning – including new growth areas.

5.1 Working towards sustainability

That the State Government and local government take urgent action to increase the environmental sustainability of metropolitan Melbourne.

This can be achieved by:

• Developing strategies for addressing climate change mitigation and adaptation through a broad-based discussion of the likely consequences of climate change and the choices available to us as a community.
• Establishing benchmarks and targets for reduced greenhouse emissions, use of potable water and recycled water, and waste minimisation.
• Informing the public about full-cost pricing and user-pays policies for services such as waste disposal, water, energy and road use to ensure that those who use scarce resources or contribute to global warming are responsible for the associated costs.
• Strengthening demand management mechanisms for energy and water, including building on the existing five star energy rating to create higher energy rating standards for new residential developments and to introduce them for commercial development.

5.2 Green wedges

That the State Government gives higher priority to enhancing the contribution of green wedges to the sustainability and liveability of Melbourne.

Means by which this can be achieved include:

• In implementing the Green Wedge Management Plans, ensure that controls on the use of land recognise the inherent differences in the nature and capability of land within each green wedge.
• Developing appropriate incentives and programs of assistance to landowners to manage and maintain this important metropolitan resource.
• Ensuring that tourist and recreational developments in green wedges are only approved where they support Melbourne 2030.

6. Affordable Housing

That the State Government, in consultation with local governments, the development industry, and other stakeholders, establishes targets for social housing assistance and prepares a multi-sector funding strategy to engage the Commonwealth Government in addressing housing affordability.

Associated actions include:

• Victoria actively participating in developing a national framework for action on affordable housing – taking advantage of the incoming Commonwealth Government’s declared commitment to social inclusion.
• Setting and monitoring targets for housing assistance at local and metropolitan levels.
• Investigating, prioritising and implementing mechanisms to mitigate the increase in housing costs, with consideration given to the use of ‘inclusionary zoning’ to provide a component of affordable housing in new developments.
• Enhancing the capacity of not-for-profit and cooperative housing associations to deliver and manage affordable housing.

7. Monitoring Melbourne 2030

That an outcomes-based monitoring framework for Melbourne 2030 be developed that will provide information to decision-makers and stakeholders. This should:

• Assess progress in moving towards Melbourne 2030 outcomes.
• Assess the effectiveness of Melbourne 2030 implementation.
• Provide a basis for adjusting the implementation of Melbourne 2030 and updating the Plan in the future.

That the State Government commissions an independent assessment of progress towards completing implementation actions for Melbourne 2030 as part of the next five-year audit.