Melbourne suburbs face dramatic change as election battle lines drawn

A dramatic change is on the horizon for the leafy Melbourne suburb of Armadale, with plans lodged for a six-storey development on Mercer Road, just 900 metres from the train station. The proposed development would see five single-storey units demolished and replaced with a block of 29 two-three bedroom apartments and two levels of underground parking.

Resident Dave Corrigan, who lives in an apartment across the road, described the plan as outrageous. "[It's] enough to almost make me consider moving, to be honest," he said. "I could probably understand on a main road and High Street … but in the middle of Mercer Road, that's just ridiculous."

Under the state's new "deemed to comply" planning rules, Corrigan's objections carry limited weight and his right to appeal has been stripped away. The rules, which took effect in April, allow developments that meet certain standards to be approved without the usual scope for objections or appeals.

What are the new planning rules?

Labor's new planning rules have sparked controversy, with residents and councils arguing that they will alter the character of established suburbs and limit community input. The "deemed to comply" rules mean that if a development meets a series of standards set out by the government, it can be approved without the usual scope for objections or appeals.

State Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny said the existing planning system failed to provide enough housing in areas where people want to live. "We've acted to say that the status quo is no longer an option," she said. "We cannot continue to have a planning system that continues to lock out Victorians from living in places where they want to live."

How will the changes affect suburbs?

The changes have drawn fierce opposition from residents and councils, who argue that they will lead to high-rise development in established suburbs. Stonnington Mayor Melina Sehr said residents often assumed taller buildings would be concentrated around railway stations and major roads, but that was no longer the case.

"Council's involvement is minimal because if they tick the government's planning boxes now, residents have no right to object, they have no appeal rights and council has very limited ability to make changes to those proposed developments," Mayor Sehr said.

What are the alternatives?

The Coalition has promised to scrap Labor's activity centres policy if elected, return third-party appeal rights to residents and give councils a greater role in planning their communities. Opposition Leader Jess Wilson said a Coalition government would shift the focus of high-rise development to Melbourne's CBD and inner city.

"We believe that local communities should have a say in how their community grows," Ms Wilson said. "We all know the need to build more homes right across this state, but what we want to do is make sure that we actually deliver more homes and more choice."

Dr Stephen Glackin, Senior Research Fellow in urban planning at Swinburne University of Technology, said the Labor government is trying to use existing infrastructure. "The more we expand, it's just more expensive and it's leaving the people who are on the fringes of the city open to travel poverty," he said.