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Aurora is a large residential development in Epping North, approximately 20 kilometres north of the Melbourne central business district. One of the interesting features of Aurora is that it provides for the construction of a series of purpose-built frog habitat ponds and wetland areas. The ponds are located along Edgars Creek and are designed specifically as habitat for the Growling Grass Frog (a threatened species listed under the EPBC Act).

The first two habitat ponds were completed in September 2009. Having allowed the vegetation and habitat areas around the ponds to properly establish, a salvage and relocation program commenced recently relocating tadpoles from a nearby farm dam to the new ponds. Early monitoring suggests that the relocation program has been successful and that the tadpoles are adapting well. Encouragingly, other frogs have found the ponds on their own and have settled there also.

With other frog populations in Melbourne dwindling, the Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment and the Australian Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities will be watching the Aurora frog ponds with much interest. We are all hoping that the frogs continue to settle in and enjoy their new home!

A total of sixteen ponds will eventually be built at Aurora and will be connected as part of a linear habitat corridor along Edgars Creek.

Collie has been providing planning advice and services to VicUrban in relation to the Aurora development for a number of years. For more information about the frog ponds, or about Aurora generally, contact Aran Barker on +61 3 8698 9300 or awb@colliepl.com.au

I was lucky enough on my recent trip to the USA to visit a number of Frank Lloyd Wright buildings, including the Guggenheim in New York and Robie House and other prairie style houses in Chicago. In addition, I also visited the amazing Falling Water house.

Falling Water was designed and built by Frank Lloyd Wright for the Kaufmann family in the late 1930’s. It is located in the mountains about two hours drive south-east of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania. The Kaufmann’s at the time owned a major department store in Pittsburgh (now part of the Macy’s chain).

It is amazing how this house sits within the forest, and most of us will be familiar with the stream and waterfall that goes under the house thanks to the use of an extensive cantilever system which at the time of construction was new technology. The visit was one of those experiences where every expectation was met and exceeded and I would recommend that anyone who has the chance to visit Falling Water take the opportunity. I’m sure that most of the over 4 million people that have visited the house since it was opened to the public in the 1960’s will agree. Contact Jay Hollerich at jjh@colliepl.com.au

In recent years there has been much discussion in the ‘planning’ world about increasing densities in our activity centres and reducing growth at the fringe, you know, all that Melbourne 2030 talk! Collie has recently worked on two developments that we believe are excellent examples of activity centre development. Our experience with these projects we feel is instructive of the challenges faced by this type of development.

• a basement car park;
• two separate buildings, both of which are (in part) five storeys in height;
• retention of the former Essendon Theatre facade;
• 37 dwellings;
• seven shop tenancies;
• sixteen small office tenancies.

It provides active commercial uses at street level, office and residential uses above and behind the street frontage, basement car parking so as to not be visible from the surrounding area, appropriate massing of the built form to respond to the varying interfaces and context of the site and retention and enhancement of the heritage facade. Extensive pre-application discussions were had with Council planning department representatives, from both the statutory and strategic planning departments. It was clear from these discussions that the planning staff had an excellent understanding of the site’s potential and also the importance of this site to Essendon North, not only because of the landmark theatre building but also as a catalyst for redevelopment. Their level of support for the proposal was evidence of the high quality design proposed.

The second proposal is located on the corner of Mt Alexander Road and Sturt Street and is part of a former nursery site. It is located in a Residential Zone at the fringe of the activity centre and the proposal reflects this through increased setbacks and an entirely residential proposal of 40 dwellings, including basement car parking.

Both of these projects were supported by the planning department within Council. Unfortunately, it was necessary to take both applications to VCAT given the failure of Council to make a decision within the prescribed time. Subsequently, Council resolved to oppose both proposals against the recommendations of their planning department.

A planning permit has since been issued at the direction of VCAT in relation to both proposals. The Leake Street proposal was approved largely as submitted to Council, while some amendments were made to the Mt Alexander Road design.

Our experience with both of these projects shows the time delays and uncertainties that developers face when undertaking these types of projects. This despite the quality of design and a high level of compliance with broader planning policies.

While it seems that the concept of increased densities is being accepted in part at planning department levels within Councils, this is often less the case with elected members, often regardless of the quality of the design and compliance with policies and controls. Until the culture changes or the planning process is changed to provide more support for these types of development in key activity centres, we will continue to have a focus towards development on the fringe of Melbourne.

What it also shows is the important role that VCAT can play in managing local politics in the decision making process and ensuring that a decision is made on matters of planning policy. All the more reason why the expanding VCAT timelines for hearings and decisions are a concern.

Images sourced from BBP Architects

Amendment C105 to the Moreland Planning Scheme was gazetted on 23 September 2010. Amendment C105 applies, through the use of a Design and Development Overlay, interim height limits to the Brunswick Major Activity Centre around Sydney Road and Lygon Streets. But is this the right way to go to encourage development in our activity centres?

Amendment C105 seeks to implement the Brunswick Structure Plan to protect areas around Sydney Road, Lygon Street and Nicholson Street in Brunswick and Brunswick East from ‘inappropriate’ development while the Structure Plan is finalised. The Design and Development Overlays recommend various height limits ranging from three storeys up to seven storeys. Amendment C105 was an ‘overnight’ amendment approved by the Minister for Planning without public notification, hence the interim nature of the controls.

Brunswick Major Activity Centre is a significant opportunity to provide increased residential population in an inner northern Melbourne area that is extremely well served by a range of public transport and other services. The existing mix of land uses also provides opportunities for multi-storey residential and mixed use development.

It should be noted that the Brunswick Structure Plan was prepared in 2006 and adopted by Moreland City Council in 2008. It seems accepted, including in recent Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) decisions, that general planning policy has ‘moved on’ in the past four years since the Structure Plan was developed. Since the initial preparation of the Structure Plan in 2006, a number of developments have been approved either by Council or VCAT throughout the Structure Plan area with heights exceeding those recommended by the Structure Plan.

Is it not the role of VCAT to consider whether development is ‘appropriate’ in this Major Activity Centre while Council completes work on the Structure Plan, as has been the case for the past four years? What of those developers who have purchased properties next door to an approved thirteen storey development that are now told that their property has a recommended height limit of five storeys applying to it?

Despite the document being four years old, Council has yet to complete work on the Structure Plan to an extent that it can be tested rigorously through a full planning scheme amendment process. Will Amendment C105 encourage Council to speed up this work?

Alternatively, the Brunswick Major Activity Centre seems an opportunity for the Department of Planning and Community Development to take a greater role in implementing another Activity Centre Zone like they have done in Doncaster.

Contact Jay Hollerich : jjh@colliepl.com.au

Collie has had and continues to have a key role in Stockland’s ‘Highlands’ – a 760 hectares new community development in Craigieburn on the northem edge of metropolitan Melbourne. Located just off the Hume Highway at Craigieburn, approximately 10 kilometres north east of the Melbourne International Airport and 3 kilometres west of the Craigieburn Train Station on the Craigieburn line, Highlands is in a major growth area and is expected to be ‘home’ to approximately 28,000 people once completed.

Highlands commenced development under the Silverton Group Ltd (from 1998 to 2001) and then Lensworth Highlands Pty Ltd (from 2002 to 2004). Stockland purchased the Lensworth portfolio, including the Highlands site in December 2004.

The Collie role has included initial review of the existing old Local Structure Plan and the preparation of a fully revised new LSP. The Highlands Local Structure Plan (HLSP) deals with development at Highlands including residential, public open space, recreation and leisure facilities, activity centres, engineering infrastructure, landscape enrichment and sites of conservation, heritage and archeological significance. Since its approval in December 2007, the HLSP has been amended allowing for changes to activity centres and public open space areas and facilities within the development.

Collie has been involved also in the following.

• Assisting Stockland and Hume City Council in the review and revision of development contributions for Highlands. The review resulted in an updated development contributions plan with agreements on revised implementation triggers.
• Statutory planning including preparation of subdivision permit applications.
• Assisting Stockland with the development of design guidelines for housing at Highlands. The guidelines have then been the basis for the preparation by Collie of stage building envelope plans.
• Master planning of the ‘northern villages’ component, including preparation of urban design concepts and the development plan. This site contains about 1,300 lots over 150 hectares plus schools, an activity centre and open space (creek) areas and parks. The urban design component included ideas for the open space themes / vision and resulted in a design guideline document dealing with:

         -   niche gardens in small parks derived from middle eastern and Mediterranean experience (to reflect an emerging cultural interest);
          -   utilising the existing stock of local stone to develop gabion walls;
          -   developing high canopied street tree plantings;
          -   utilising WSUD principles in streetscape and park development;
          -   integrating and differentiating between streetscapes and Malcolm Creek itself;
          -   developing small parks as prototypes for residential gardens;
          -   investigating usage of water reticulation in small parks;
          -   developing simple architectural styles reflective of shade and containment;
          -   investigating potential to utilise exotic vegetation within enclosed spaces;
          -   developing integrated native plantings along edges and to establish hierarchy in street tree plantings.

With only a number of sections within Highlands that are yet to be subdivided and a population that is increasing at a dramatic rate, the completion of the development does not seem far away.

Our highlight? A magnificent river tour which began by meeting the local village chief, continued upstream passing a plantation nursery and seven man-made bridges, resulted in a ten metre waterfall jump into an ice-cold mini river pool and culminated in dinner at the home of our tour guide, on the floor! Fiji – truly refreshing!

Contact Neil Badger: njb@colliepl.com.au

The Department of Planning and Community Development recently approved a development plan for the former Kodak Australasia site in Coburg.

On 21 July 2010 the Department of Planning and Community Development (DPCD) endorsed a Development Plan for 173-199 Elizabeth Street, Coburg (the site). The approval of the development plan is a significant milestone in the redevelopment of the site and follows a process of planning and negotiation with DPCD, Moreland City Council, local residents and other interested parties.

The site was previously owned by Kodak and was occupied and operated as the former factory and headquaters for Kodak Australasia’s operations until 2006. At just over 20 hectares the site offers a rare and exciting opportunity for comprehensive ‘brownfield’ redevelopment in a location that has good proximity to shopping areas, parkland and other amenities.

Collie has worked closely with the owners and developers of the site, Urbex Pty Ltd, to help plan the site. In particular, Collie has:

• obtained a planning permit to subdivide the land, thereby enabling part of the original site to be on-sold to a third party and retained for employment uses;
• prepared a ‘Guiding Principles Document’ to help define and steer the process for rezoning and redeveloping the land and to provide certainty to Urbex and to Council about the associated planning process;
• prepared planning scheme amendment documents to facilitate the rezoning of the land and vary and add relevant planning scheme overlays;
• drafted the main text of the development plan document and negotiated its content with officers from Council and from DPCD;
• co-ordinated the preparation of a large number of technical reports, which support and inform the development plan;
• negotiated the final content and details of the development plan enabling it to be formally approved and endorsed.

The approved development plan provides the planning framework for the comprehensive redevelopment of the site. The plan provides for the following details and elements:

• at least 380 new dwellings including affordable and accessible houses;
• a new ‘neighbourhood hub’ which will provide community and retail opportunities to support and complement existing shops on Elizabeth Street.
• a carefully designed street network which provides multiple connections to the surrounding area and which recognises and reflects the wider street pattern;
• new public open space areas and improved public access to Edgars Creek;
• high quality environmentally sustainable design features including rainwater tanks and other water sensitive urban design details, passive solar design and high
• quality cycle and pedestrian networks.

Special attention has also been given to ensuring that the land is developed efficiently and sustainably while also ensuring that it ‘fits in’ with the character of the existing neighbourhood. Development plan provisions relating to dwelling yield and to building height and design will help ensure that this is the case.

The development plan also provides for interpretive plaques and other features to be incorporated into the development of the site as recognition of its historical use.

Collie is continuing to work closely with Urbex on this project. We are currently helping to negotiate a Section 173 agreement with Council and anticipate lodging a planning permit application for the subdivision of ‘stage 1’ of the development shortly.

For more details about this project, please contact John Roney or Aran Barker.

On 29 July 2010 the Legislative Council of the Victorian Parliament passed the amendment (VC68) to expand Melbourne’s urban growth boundary allowing 43,600 additional hectares to be brought into metropolitan Melbourne. To support the additional expansion of the urban growth boundary the Planning and Environment Amendment (Growth Areas Infrastructure Contribution) Act 2010 came into operation on 1 July 2010.

Proclamation of Part 1 and sections 3, 4 and 5 of the Planning and Environment Amendment (GAIC) was gazetted and came into operation on 8 June 2010 with the proclamation of the remaining provisions of the Act gazetted on 25 June 2010 to come into operation on 1 July 2010.

For further information please contact the Growth Areas Authority on (03) 9651 9600 or www.gaa.vic.gov.au or the State Revenue Office on 13 21 61 or www.sro.vic.gov.au