New controls not strong enough

Minister for Planning Richard Wynne announced the new controls last month ­–focused on social housing and smart apartment design.

Under the new rules, developers wanting permits taller than 12-storeys will be encouraged to include 6 per cent social housing in their projects, and to make at least 30 per cent of all apartments three-bedroom.

In the Montague and Lorimer precincts, buildings taller than 12-storeys will be expected to include at least 15 per cent of floor space for commercial and community use.

The measures will be in place until March 31, 2018 while the government considers permanent controls.

While the council has welcomed the government’s new interim controls as a positive step for the community, Mayor Bernadene Voss said controls needed to be made mandatory.

“While we are pleased the Victorian Government has acted to address the need for more affordable and diverse housing in Fishermans Bend, we urge the government to go further by making the controls stronger and mandatory,” she said.

“Boldness is needed to create a world class, liveable and sustainable city of the future so these interim controls don’t go far enough.”

Fellow Gateway Ward councillor Ogy Simic echoed the thoughts of the mayor, saying mandatory controls would be the only way to achieve affordable housing.

“I don’t think it went far enough because it only recommends to the developers that they have affordable housing built into it,” he said.

“Council has called for those measures to be mandatory because that’s the only way we can actually work towards affordable housing.”

“It’s not in the developers’ interest to do it so we’ve got to make sure that we set the regulations in place to make sure that it happens.”