Ranges
2 Tuesday, 4 October, 2016
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Covering the Dandenongs in the Yarra Ranges & Cardinia Shires
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IF YOU’RE in need of some new plants to bring your garden to life, then head to the Spring Plant Sale at the George Tindale Memorial Gardens on Saturday 8 October. Organised by the Friends of Tindale Gardens, the annual sale will offer a selection of plants that will add colour to any garden. The Friends of Tindale Garden will also be available on the day to provide advice on the horticultural requirements of newly purchased plants and share stories about the garden. The George Tindale Memorial Garden is located at 33 Sherbrooke Road, Sherbrooke. The plant sale will be held from 10am to 4pm. For more information about the Friends of Tindale Garden, visit www. friendsofgtmg.com For more information about George Tindale Memorial Gardens call 13 1963 or visitwww.parks.vic.gov.au
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Sisters Charlotte, 4, and Emily, 8, at the George Tindale Memorial Gardens. 159915 Picture: ROB CAREW
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A CONCERNED ratepayer is calling on Yarra Ranges Council to extend consultation over the proposed C148 amendment beyond Thursday, 6 October. Belgrave local Paul O’Halloran argues residents may not be fully aware of how C148 will shape the Yarra Ranges in the decades to come, due to the complexity of the change. Yarra Ranges Shire has promoted the C148 amendment as a “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity for residents to shape the direction of the region, with an amendment that seeks to bring the shire’s Planning Scheme in line with contemporary issues and landscape. The shire says new planning issues have emerged, which C148 seeks to rectify, with the desired result being a scheme that is easier for people to use and understand. But Mr O’Halloran is fearful of the change C148 could bring to Green Wedge areas. “For over 30 years the Yarra Ranges has been protected by the Regional Strategy Plan,” he said. “Sir Rupert Hamer implemented the Green Wedge vision for greater Melbourne to ensure outer suburban development was balanced by the deliberate protection of large neighbouring areas. “The Yarra Ranges Green Wedge areas have nurtured the development of a vibrant viticulture and eco-tourist industry which have given the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges their welldeserved accolades. “The current controls have stood the test of time. “Deleting these controls ... will see a large increase of housing.” Mr O’Halloran said his biggest concern was the ease with which housing developments could pass planning. He pointed to a 2015 report that indicated about 3000 lots had housing potential to be developed within the Yarra Ranges. Mr O’Halloran said it was a conscious decision for him to re-locate to the Dandenong Ranges in the 1980s, and he wanted to see the future secured. “I really value what we’ve got here and I’d hate to lose that,” he said. “You look at growth corridors like Lilydale and Cranbourne. “We need to ensure these areas stay protected
for future generations.” Meanwhile, Yarra Ranges Shire acting Chief Executive Officer, Troy Edwards, denied C148 would impact on Green Wedge Zones. “The amendment will not change the existing Green Wedge Zones,” he said. “It will provide revised and improved controls over vegetation through the proposed Significant Landscape Overlay and the Environmental Significance Overlay. “Dwelling development in Green Wedge areas is largely controlled by the zones which are not changing. “The amendment does replace tenement controls with more comprehensive local policy for assessing applications for dwellings.” Mr Edwards said tenement controls only occurred in parts of Yarra Ranges’ rural areas. He said they were not equitable and required a title search to determine if they were applied. “It is a hidden control when purchasing a property which council does not support,” he said. “The tenements do not prohibit dwellings dwellings are still allowed, subject to a permit. “The local planning policy for rural dwellings is a standard for how council would consider any application for a dwelling in its Green Wedge areas - regardless of tenement provisions.” Mr Edwards said other updates to local planning policy for rural areas would provide better guidance for decisions on matters relating to land use, subdivision, expansion of rural towns, tourism and commercial activity. Further, Mr Edwards was confident there would be ongoing protection in Green Wedge Zones. Mr Edwards said the amendment was based on the Green Wedge Management Plan (2010) and the Yarra Ranges Environment Strategy 2015-2025, both of which considered the wellbeing of Green Wedge areas. “The amendment was intended to be a better and more efficient way of achieving the same policy/strategy outcomes as at present, not to be a fundamental re-invention of standards,” he said. “It was never the product of deciding that we wanted more houses in rural areas or to clear more vegetation. *Is C148 good for the Yarra Ranges? Let us know. Email editor@mailnewsgroup.com.au. To have your say on C148, visit www.yarraranges.vic.gov.au.
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By Peter Douglas