FRANKSTON Council will write to state government MPs flagging concerns that new planning amendments will reduce council’s planning power.
Councillors agreed that “proposed changes may have major implications as they would reduce council and community input into process and decision making. In particular, the potential to remove council as the planning authority for priority areas, specifically the Frankston Metropolitan Activity Centre.”
An example of an amendment made last year which concerns council is Amendment VC187. Council officers wrote that the change made “the minister for energy, environment, and climate change (DELWP) responsible for assessment and decision making for the development of 10 or more dwellings and apartments” with “no council or community involvement in the consideration and decision making process for applications that meet these requirements.”
Councillors unanimously agreed at their most recent meeting to write to the planning minister, shadow planning minister, and Frankston MP Paul Edbrooke to outline their worries. Councillors who spoke in favour of the move also urged residents to write to their local MP about it.
Frankston MP Paul Edbrooke was contacted for comment.
Council officers also wrote that a proposed change “to be tabled in Parliament in early 2022 which would see the minister for planning being able to declare priority precincts and projects” would “have significant implications for council. Of particular concern is the development of the FMAC SP which would meet the definition of a priority project and council would be relegated to the role of key stakeholder and a submitter.”
Frankston councillor Sue Baker said at a recent public meeting that council staff are monitoring the situation “very closely”. “We can assure residents we are doing everything we can do, even though it is out of our hands to a greater extent,” she said.
Cr Kris Bolam said that the “legislation before us needs to be properly shopped and consulted and the local government sector needs to be engaged, and that’s what the council is asking for.”