NEWS DESK
Meeting called to discuss housing changes Council disappointed with electoral review consultation
On the map: A map of housing changes in Kingston from council’s draft housing strategy and neighbourhood character study.
eral Residential Zone (seven per cent) is located along Centre Dandenong Road to capitalise on proximity to the local shopping centre, parks and bus routes.” The consultation period for the housing strategy and neighbourhood character study will be open until 2 August. The ward meeting will start at 6pm, 11 July. Visit kingston. vic.gov.au to register attendance.
KINGSTON Council have voted to signal their disappointment at a “disingenuous” consultation process undertaken as part of the Victorian Electoral Commission’s electoral representation review. The VEC is undertaking a review to determine if Kingston has an appropriate number councillors, whether it should remain subdivided into wards, whether there should be more or less wards, and how many councillors should represent each ward. Kingston Council mayor Georgina Oxley moved an item of urgent business at council’s 24 June meeting which read that “council is disappointed with the state government’s lack of consultation with the community and local government sector in relation to the ward boundary structure as outlined in the proposed new local government act.” The motion read that council is “disappointed with what would appear to be disingenuous consultation with the community on the ward structure through the representation review process, if the government has already decided on the outcome of this process through the local government act bill to be passed through the parliament, which therefore disenfranchises members of our community with disingenuous consultation.” The motion was passed by councillors. Kingston Council will request that the implementation of changes in the local government act be deferred until after the 2020 council election or that Kingston’s review be “postponed until such a decision can be made on
the timelines and implementation of the new local government act.” Council has also requested an extension for submissions to the proposed new local government act until 30 July. VEC electoral commissioner Warwick Gately said that reviews into council structures are generally required every 12 years, with Kingston’s last one being in 2007. “The opportunity to have your say doesn’t come around too often, so it’s important to have a broad range of community members contributing to the shape of their local democracy,” he said last month (“Council structure under review”, The News, 16/6/19). Preliminary submissions for the VEC’s review close at 5pm on 17 July. They can be submitted online at vec.vic.gov.au.
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A WARD meeting will be held on 11 July for Kingston resignets in the Central Ward. Residents are invited to attend and discuss council’s housing strategy and neighbourhood character study with councillors Ron Brownlees, Rosemary West, and Geoff Gledhill. The housing strategy was discussed at council’s 24 June meeting, when Cr West moved a motion to request that a flier go out to Kingston residents stating that “about 25 per cent of Kingston’s residential area is proposed to be rezoned from the interim General Residential Zone 3 (GRZ3), with a 9 metre height limit, to a new GRZ, mostly with an 11 metre height limit” and that “in the roughly 50 per cent of Kingston’s residential area that will keep its 9 metre height limit in the new Neighbourhood Residential Zone (NRZ), the provision that has discouraged two-storey development in the backyards of the former Residential 3/GRZ3 areas is proposed to be removed, and the provision for only two dwellings on an average sized lot, (with proportionally more on larger lots) is proposed to be removed.” That motion failed with Crs West and Steve Staikos voting in favour. Kingston mayor Georgina Oxley issued a statement last week that read “to meet demand, Kingston Council is planning to accommodate our share of population growth generally around key activity centres, close to public transport, shops and services.” “This would allow us to protect the neighbourhood character and amenity of our quieter residential streets,” Cr Oxley said. “Nothing proposed here is set in stone yet. We will take on board feedback through our official consultation process, which will be used to inform the preparation of a planning scheme amendment, which we will again consult with the community about.” The statement read that under the draft plan “93 per cent of residential land within Dingley Village has been designated as limited change and is proposed to be included in the Neighbourhood Residential Zone with a mandatory two storey height limit.” It also read that “7 per cent of residential land within Dingley Village has been designated as incremental change and is proposed to be included in the General Residential Zone with a mandatory height limit of three storeys” and that “the very small area of residential land in Dingley Village proposed to be included in the Gen-
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Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News
10 July 2019
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