Planning powers in Footscray are again in the spotlight following a call by Footscray MP Marsha Thomson for development decisions to be returned to Maribyrnong council.
A section of the CBD of Footscray and the riverside Joseph Road precinct have been under the jurisdiction of the Planning Minister since the then state Labor government took over the powers in 2007.
Planning Minister Matthew Guy has accused Ms Thomson of hypocrisy after she told State Parliament there was “a total disconnect” between the community and the minister.
“No actual planning is taking place in Footscray. The minister just says yes to every major development,” Ms Thomson said.
“Two 31-storey developments are being built right on the banks of the Maribyrnong River, despite the minister himself having said that the Maribyrnong and Yarra rivers should be protected from these developments.”
But Mr Guy said Ms Thomson had earlier praised the former planning minister Justin Madden’s interventions in Footscray as a “commitment to rejuvenation” of the city.
“The Labor government made themselves the responsible authority for Footscray,
not myself and the Coalition government,” he said.
Mr Guy has responsible authority status for more than 65 sites across Victoria, in locations such as Marysville and the Footscray area and on projects such as the Regional Rail Link and the Basslink electricity project.
Maribyrnong councillors have been critical of Mr Guy’s decision to approve the high-rise towers in the Joseph Road precinct. But Mr Guy said calls for reinstatement of the council as responsible authority were clearly just a political dispute and “not one based on real community desire”.
“The state government became the responsible authority for certain projects in Footscray under Labor in 2007, and we continue to work closely with council in delivering on the rejuvenation of this fantastic area of Melbourne.”
