LABOR has pledged to stop the “plundering” of Melbourne’s green wedges if it wins government at next month’s state election.
Opposition planning spokesman Brian Tee addressed the Green Wedges Coalition’s annual general meeting yesterday at Parliament House and promised that Labor would preserve green wedge boundaries if elected.
“Green wedges are the lungs that keep our city liveable and only Labor will protect them,” Mr Tee said.
“The Liberals have slowly eaten away at our open landscapes and soon there will be nothing left.”
In recent months, Planning Minister Matthew Guy has advised Kingston Council he would consider a proposal to rezone green wedge land between Kingston and Heatherton Rds and Lower Dandenong Rd to a Rural Living Zone with a minimum lot size of 2000 square metres “based on its merits”.
Mr Guy’s stance has disappointed environmental groups, such as the Defenders of the South East Green Wedge, who oppose further development in green wedges.
A spokesperson for the minister said the urban growth boundary introduced by Labor in 2003 was “compromised [reduced] by more than 40,000 hectares” when previous Labor state governments were in power.
“The Coalition government reviewed the urban growth boundary in 2011, fixed up small anomalies and closed the door to any further changes.”
The spokesperson said Plan Melbourne was the first document to identify a permanent urban growth boundary.
“Statements that it (an urban growth boundary) is yet to be implemented are inaccurate and misleading,” she said.
When questioned on Mr Guy’s willingness to consider Kingston Council’s requests to rezone parts of the green wedge, she said the urban growth boundary “will not be extended again”.
“If Kingston is seeking to change green wedge areas into residential [zones] they need to review their position.
“The council is better placed to work on its commercial areas to enhance the housing and employment opportunities within areas such as the Mentone, Moorabbin and Cheltenham activity centres.”
Mr Tee said Labor would “lock down” the boundaries of Melbourne’s green wedges.
“Green wedges were established under a Liberal government in the 1970s, but they won’t survive four more years of the modern Liberal Party.”
Melbourne’s green wedges were established by the Hamer government.
First published in the Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News
