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Melbourne doesn’t remain the world’s most liveable city by standing still. 
Just ask any overseas or interstate visitor returning to Victoria and they’ll tell you, Melbourne is ever moving and always growing. We wouldn’t have it any other way. 
Cranes in the sky and shovels in the ground on every street corner indicate that Melbourne is forever a moving feast, but it’s only so often we have the opportunity to truly transform the shape of our city. 
That’s why urban renewal projects are so exciting – and why we have to get them right. 
At Fishermans Bend, a 480-hectare parcel of potential just five kilometres from the CBD, we have a chance to build a thriving neighbourhood complete with local schools, parks and places for the community to get together. 
The Fishermans Bend urban renewal project is the largest of its kind in Australia. In fact, it’s bigger than every other urban renewal project in Victoria combined. 
But while Fishermans Bend has an exciting future, it’s been plagued by a murky past. 
The former industrial land became a political point of conjecture when a mere penstroke made it become some of Melbourne’s hottest, wealthiest property. 
Overnight, land spiralled in value as lucky owners reaped the benefits of the extraordinary upzone to capital city. 
Permits flew thick and fast as derelict factories or disused sites became lucrative land soon to be multi-million dollar skyscrapers. 
It was great news for the lucky few, but a growing postcode was beginning to be deprived of a neighbourhood – and a community was about to be left behind. 
Concrete jungles of skyscrapers surrounded by not much else don’t make great cities – they make an urban blight. 
Our recast vision for Fishermans Bend is taking a different approach. It’s a vision for 80,000 residents and 80,000 jobs. It’s all about making Fishermans Bend a benchmark for environmental sustainability, connectivity and innovation. 
We want Fishermans Bend to be a water sensitive community, a biodiverse community, a low carbon community and a low waste community. 
Above all, we want Fishermans Bend to be as good a community as any to live, work and raise a family. 
It starts with open space. We’ve already pressed ahead with plans for the Montague Community Park – and now we’re going further. The Framework earmarks the equivalent of two thirds the size of Docklands for open space, or 50 MCGs.  
Four new AFL-sized ovals, six soccer pitches and eight outdoor courts will give local kids badly-needed space to blow off steam and embrace healthy and active lifestyles. 
And plans are afoot for four primary schools – including the South Melbourne Primary School nearing completion – and a public secondary school is also on the list. 
Proper planning is all about earmarking services today so that they’re ready for the communities of tomorrow. Fishermans Bend won’t thrive overnight, but we’re putting the chess pieces in place now so that as the community grows, we’re ready to grow with it. 
Improved walking and cycling connections and improved bus services are immediate priorities that can’t wait. 
In the longer term, future tram networks and a metro rail connection will ensure we’re perfectly positioned to add the major transport infrastructure by the time it’s required. 
As is so often the case with poor planning, it begins with heights. 
Unfettered approvals and a free-for-all approach to permits meant Fishermans Bend was in danger of becoming an architectural disaster. 
It’s why we’ve established new planning controls that reign in heights, improve setbacks and better protect open space from overshadowing. 
We want more than just the select few to enjoy everything a Fishermans Bend life offers, so we'll ensure a diverse mix of housing options that cater for individuals and families of all shapes and sizes.  
A target of six per cent affordable housing is a cornerstone of the Framework. 
When we came to Government we could see that Fishermans Bend wasn’t quite right, so we got the independent experts on the case to work out what had gone wrong. 
Even we were stunned by the shortcomings. 
The committee's investigation found that the decision to allow unfiltered high rise developments didn't include plans or funds to accommodate essential services that make communities tick - and labelled Fishermans Bend's failed renewal "unprecedented in the developed world". 
Well, we're fixing that mess. We're building a flagship community residents can be proud to call home. 
It's a big job, but getting the planning right at Fishermans Bend will leave a long-lasting legacy - and that's exactly what we're going to do.

The Hon Richard Wynne is the member for Richmond and the Minister for Planning.

 

Read more: <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/news/richard-wynne-on-fishermans-bend-we-have-to-get-urban-renewal-projects-right">Fishermans Bend draft framework released</a>.

<a href="https://www.urban.com.au/news/walking-bikes-and-public-transport-the-big-focus-in-fishermans-bends-integrated-transport-plan">Walking, bikes and public transport the big focus in Fishermans Bend's integrated transport plan</a>.
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rwynne

Richard Wynne on Fishermans Bend: we have to get urban renewal projects right

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Skyscrapers generate a lot of buzz around Melbourne.

We are reviewing the central city planning controls for the first time in 30 years and this has generated more interest than any other planning issue I have been involved in.

Melburnians love their CBD and our city draws residents, tourists and investment from around the world.

Developers want to build here, more people want to live here and businesses base themselves here because of the amenity and character around the Hoddle Grid and Southbank.

This week we began public consultation for proposed controls which would require an 18:1 floor area ratio.

Developers can still build beyond that ratio, and there is no upper limit - but there must be something in it for the city.

Large-scale development cannot suffocate the inner city. Modelling done as part of our review showed the central city would be over-developed and degraded without government intervention.

The inner city needs to be shaped with a clear vision and we cannot allow projects to be rubber-stamped in isolation from their surrounds.

We’ve already had encouraging feedback from the property industry and the public, pleased we are creating certainty and a vision for how we want the city to grow.

It has also been said that the horse has bolted, that the sheer volume and scale of approvals to date will create dark, windy streets.

Which reinforces why new controls were necessary.

I have approved 28 inner-city projects as minister, under the previous rules - more than $7 billion worth of construction.

I have sought the best outcome for the city with every approval, and for some permits I have included conditions such as increased setbacks and improved apartment layouts.

But we need a system which pushes for great design and the best outcome from inception.

Conditions shouldn’t be bolted on at the end of the planning process.

I also reject any notion that developers will shift their focus to Sydney.

In central Sydney plot ratios rarely exceed 15:1, even with bonuses, and the average project has a 12:1 ratio.

Melbourne’s land is more affordable and the permit process in Victoria is considerably faster.

Internationally, New York, Vancouver and Hong Kong have included plot ratios of 5:1 to 10:1 with bonuses for open space, affordable housing and other community infrastructure.

Requiring good community outcomes from major development: it is common sense – and common practice.

The record demand for sites and appetite for investment would not continue if we allowed for more overshadowing and homogenous building design, with no incentive for investing in amenity.

Approvals granted by the former Planning Minister included average plot ratios of 35:1 and up to 63:1.

Rubber-stamping under the previous government meant the bar begin to fall on design quality in favour of maximum yield for profit.

Some applications which have crossed my desk clearly seek to target a high-as-possible yield with little regard to the surrounding streetscape.

That sort of unfettered development does little for innovation.

I believe our generous controls, unrestricted upper limit and the sheer talent of our architectural industry will encourage innovation.

These controls have the flexibility to respond to individual sites.

We will continue to see investment in Melbourne, but it will be coupled with good community outcomes.

I look forward to working through the submissions and ideas which come through the consultation over the next month.

But more than anything, I cannot wait to see what future projects our vision inspires.

Richard Wynne is the member of the legislative assembly for Richmond and Minister for Planning.

Editor's note: Submissions on the Central City Built Form Review close on May 30 and public hearings will be held by Panels Victoria in the coming months, before permanent controls are implemented in September. For more information, visit <a href="http://delwp.vic.gov.au/planning/policy-and-strategy/central-city-built-form-review">www.delwp.vic.gov.au</a>
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The Planning Minister: on the proposed central city planning controls

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Walking around some of Melbourne’s best-designed apartments recently, I was struck by how much design could make a small space feel like a home.

I was on the Robin Boyd Foundation’s exemplary apartment tour, showing off the best in Melbourne apartments.

In Victoria, there are some exceptional examples of how clever spaces, light and ventilation can add to liveability, and how apartments built some decades ago still hold their own today.

Victoria’s property industry is brimming with experts in clever design, the very people I’m appealing to contribute to the draft apartment guidelines our government is working on.

In May, I launched a discussion paper, <a href="http://delwp.vic.gov.au/planning/policy-and-strategy/better-apartments">Better Apartments</a>, at the Planning Institute of Australia’s national conference.

The discussion paper was chosen as the best way to kick-start consultation. Rather than beginning with draft guidelines, I want the people who deliver apartments and the people who live in them to have their say from the start.

Developers are lured to Melbourne for its liveability and investment potential.

Record-low interest rates and a thriving property market have encouraged property investors and owner-occupiers to buy. These are some of the factors pushing up apartment approvals in the past few years.

While that is great news for the state’s economy and for our property industry, we need to make sure planning policy keeps pace with the surge in apartment living.

The rise in apartments has thrown up a red flag from local government, architectural and industry bodies around the standards of some apartments in Victoria.

While I’ve seen some great apartments, I have also seen some dogboxes - poorly designed with little access to natural light, airflow and storage.

The Better Apartments discussion paper raises those concerns and weighs up housing needs, market demands and building standards with the aim of improving liveability and affordability.

The government’s goal is to deliver sustainable housing outcomes, deliver on affordability, respond to the desire to live near jobs and services while also supporting investment.

The discussion paper’s focus is on internal amenity, as well as outlook and privacy.

While apartment sizes are a hot talking point, we must keep in mind that good design is the key. There are some fantastic small apartments offering good amenity, natural light and are affordable, just as there are plenty of poorly-designed large apartments.

We are working towards guidelines that give certainty but still allow for innovation and new ideas.

As well as Better Apartments, work has begun on a refreshed Plan Melbourne strategy and we have begun detailed work to plan the country’s biggest infill opportunity, <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/news/fishermans-bend-proposals-an-overview">Fishermans Bend</a>.

We aren’t starting from scratch. Rather, major issues left out of Plan Melbourne and Fishermans Bend plans to date, such as energy efficiency, housing affordability and climate change, will be included.

Future planning work will also factor in the major infrastrcuture projects the Andrews Labor Government has committed to, such as the Melbourne Metro Rail project.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts on how we can deliver innovative, robust, world leading policy in apartment design. We will be holding stakeholder forums and already, online submissons and survey responses are rolling in.

We will strive to deliver apartments to balance affordability and liveability, in buildings which enhance the city skyline and the streetscape.

Melbourne leads the world in liveability, let’s see that reflected in our aspirations for apartment living.

http://delwp.vic.gov.au/better-apartments

The Hon Richard Wynne is the member for Richmond and the Minister for Planning. <a href="https://twitter.com/rwynnemp">Follow the Planning Minister on Twitter</a>.
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Richard Wynne

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