Consultation Paper, DELWP, May 2020

Deadline for submissions: 5th February, 2021

Submissions can be made online at:  https://engage.vic.gov.au/gwal. Click on the Consultation Hub to access the Consultation Paper, and the online submission forms (either long or short) If you have time to make a long  submission you can access the Green Wedge Coalition’s guide here: GWC instructions & step by step guide. For those with time constraints, FoN provides a short submission guide below focussing mainly on green wedge protection.

Short-form submission (guide)

Once you’ve clicked on the Consultation Hub, scrolled down to the Consultation Paper for reading, scroll down to the Short-form submission and click on the button. Following some personal details, you’ll be asked: What is your main relationship to, or interest in the project? – then we begin:

We would like to understand what it is about Melbourne's green wedges and peri-urban areas that you value most. Please select your top three of the following values in order of preference, by dragging and dropping them into the right-hand column.

Recommended response:

• Environment and biodiversity features (eg coastal areas….etc)
• Agriculture (eg growing food for Victorians)
• Rural landscapes and open spaces (eg views of farmland…etc)

(The other desirable green wedge features depend first and foremost on protecting these three pivotal values)

Strengthening the legislative and policy framework

Refer to Section 3.1 (pages 13 - 32) of the consultation paper to read these options in full.

Do you support the proposed options for strengthening the legislative and policy framework for green wedges and agricultural land?

Recommended response:  YES

Why or why not?   

Recommended response: (in your own words if you have the time) 

The protection of Green Wedges and peri-urban rural land needs to be increased, not diminished.  However, regional plans must not contradict state policy on green wedge uses and development or ministerially approved green wedge management plans.

Supporting agricultural land use

Refer to Section 3.2 (pages 33 - 50) of the consultation paper to read these options in full.

Do you support the proposed options for supporting agricultural land use in Melbourne's green wedges and peri-urban areas?

Recommended response:   YES

Why/why not?

Recommended response:  

Make mandatory a full Farm Management Plan demonstrating why a dwelling is required to undertake farming operations, otherwise consider them ‘rural residential’ and contrary to Green Wedge policy.  Contain urban uses such as dwellings and outbuildings in a building envelope of 2000m2 or 10% of the total site whichever is the lesser.  Prohibit bed and breakfast for more than 6 persons and make tourist accommodation and other discretionary uses subject to the minimum lot size and to the same ‘in conjunction” conditions as Restaurant and Function Centre.

Managing use of green wedges and peri-urban land

Refer to Section 3.3 (pages 51 - 61) of the consultation paper to read these options in full.

Do you support the proposed options for managing use of green wedge and peri-urban land?

Recommended response:  NO

Why/why not?

Recommended response:  

The four options on page 52 are contrary to the purpose of the Urban Growth Boundary as a clear delineation between urban and rural/green wedge uses.  Transitional uses fundamentally conflict with this review’s main intent and stated policy of protecting Green Wedge and peri-urban agricultural land for rural uses.  The transitional area concept would lead to the incremental loss of the green wedges’ rural values.  Primary and secondary schools and places of worship being urban uses should not be located on rural land adjacent to the UGB.

Improving the design of development in green wedges

Refer to Section 4 (pages 62 - 71) of the consultation paper to read these options in full.

Do you support the proposed options for implementing design and development guidelines?

Recommended response:  YES

Why/why not?

Recommended response:  

Strongly support the need to cap the size of built developments and prohibit those with bulk and scale of built form and infrastructure that dominates the rural landscape effectively changing the Green Wedge from a rural to an urban form.  New landscape plans and design guidelines should not be allowed to undermine stronger existing plans or Green Wedge Management Plans.

Further comments

Do you have any other comments or suggestions about the proposed planning system changes for Melbourne's green wedges and agricultural land?

Suggested comment: 

The Planning Minister promised to protect Melbourne’s green wedges from inappropriate development.  Instead, the options paper threatens to undermine existing Green Wedge protections by making rural land bordering the Urban Growth Boundary a ‘transitional” area for urban uses such as schools, places of worship and re-zonings to allow a range of other urban developments – the very thing that provides encouragement to speculators and subverts green wedge values.

Don’t forget to click on the ‘submit’ button at the end.