“Inconsistent” and “unclear”: Crown concerned about council planning strategy

Crown Resorts has raised concerns over the City of Melbourne’s Municipal Planning Strategy (MPS), labelling it “contradictory” due to conflicting visions for Southbank and what Crown considers a failure to recognise the casino’s significance.

At the Future Melbourne Committee (FMC) meeting on April 15, Crown Group Melbourne lodged a submission highlighting its concerns with the MPS, stating that the lack of any reference to Crown’s complex in the strategy for Southbank was a “missed” opportunity.

The rollout of the revised MPS, which sets out the council’s planning vision and objectives for the next 10 to 20 years, was deferred at the meeting due to an influx of submissions and recent planning reforms announced by the Victorian Government.

In its submission, Crown noted that there were elements within the proposed policy that were “inconsistent” and “unclear”.

Crown identified the council’s plan to encourage high-density residential and commercial development in the Capital City Zone as contradictory to its built environment and heritage strategy, which seeks to maintain low-scale development along the southern side of the Yarra River.

“These strategies within the proposed Southbank policy generally have contrary objectives and should be revisited,” Crown said.

Council management, however, disagreed. “The two strategies highlighted by the submitter are not contradictory,” management stated.

“The housing strategy is a general strategy acknowledging that Southbank will continue to be an area of high density.”

Additionally, the council said that a transition in scale would be maintained, from lower-scale development along the Yarra River corridor and Arts Precinct to higher-scale development along City Rd.

“These strategies highlight the contrast between areas within Southbank and the importance of policy to support other parts of the Melbourne Planning Scheme, ensuring all development contributes appropriately to its context,” the council added.

Crown also objected to the proposed creation of open space between Whiteman St and City Rd, where it holds a number of properties, including the Crown Metropol Hotel.

It suggested that the proposed “new open space” should be removed and requested the opportunity to examine the proposals in more detail.

Council management, however, confirmed that the areas identified in the MPS as new open space were indicative only and reflected the need for additional open space as outlined in the City of Melbourne’s Open Space Strategy 2012.

“Indicative representations of open space on these maps do not designate specific sites within a locality that will provide open space,” management said.

The council added that a “light touch” review of the Open Space Strategy was adopted in June 2024, and new open space priorities were assessed after 10 years of strategy implementation.

The review did not alter the approach to open space provision within Southbank. •