Maribyrnong council is stepping up its campaign to protect the Maribyrnong River from overdevelopment.
The council last week voted to put a motion to the coming Municipal Association of Victoria conference calling for a review of planning controls to minimise the impact of overshadowing by new developments on sensitive areas such as school playgrounds, public parks and river frontages.
The motion follows Planning Minister Matthew Guy’s approval last month of an amendment to the Maribyrnong planning scheme that paves the way for about 18 high-rise towers up to 32 storeys on the former industrial Josephs Road precinct, alongside the Maribyrnong River.
The redevelopment will overshadow St Monica’s Primary School, which has been described as an “acceptable” outcome by the Department of Transport, Planning and Local Infrastructure.
On September 14, Mr Guy announced planning controls along the Yarra River between Burke Road, Ivanhoe and Warrandyte to ensure development does not adversely affect the Yarra River. He said specific areas had also been identified along the Maribyrnong River that would benefit from site-specific height and setback controls.
“The Maribyrnong River is the greatest natural asset of Melbourne’s western suburbs,” Mr Guy said. “Importantly, this will strengthen existing planning controls and introduce new controls to protect the river banks from inappropriate development.”
But the minister would not reveal on which stretches of the river the height limits would be set or whether they applied to a proposed 26-storey tower proposed for the river’s edge at 2 Hopkins Street.
“The nine-metre mandatory height controls will apply along with setback and vegetation controls as soon as they are ready for councils to apply,” he said.
“These are the strongest planning controls for the Maribyrnong River in its history.
“The mandatory height and setback controls will ensure that the river will be well protected from overdevelopment.”
