PLANS for high-rise developments along Nepean Highway in Frankston have hit a major snag after a sudden decision by the state government’s planning minister.
Plans to build multi-storey apartments in the area bordered by Nepean Highway, Beach Street, Wells Street, and Kananook Creek Boulevard have been protested throughout the year. Proposals for a 16-storey building at 438-444 Nepean Highway and a 14-storey building at 446-450 Nepean Highway are currently before VCAT for consideration.
Planning minister Sonya Kilkenny intervened in the matter last week – she approved interim planning controls which will limit development within the Nepean Highway, Beach Street, Wells Street, and Kananook Creek Boulevard precinct to just three storeys. Proposed planning controls recently included in Frankston Council’s FMAC structure plan and sent to the planning minister for approval outline preferred building heights of up to 12 storeys in that area.
In her published justification for the intervention, Kilkenny said “without this amendment being exempted from the usual process, development may be permitted which is highly likely to compromise the orderly planning of this part of Frankston in circumstances where authorisation of amendment C160fran [the FMAC structure plan] has been sought.”
“Approval of development that is inconsistent with proposed built form controls before this statutory process occurs would be highly likely to jeopardise the aims of proposed amendment C160fran before it can be considered,” she wrote.
The interim planning controls are active until 27 October.
Opposers to the proposed Nepean Highway development plans have labelled them the “Great Wall of Frankston”. A petition protesting their construction has garnered nearly 5000 signatures.
One of the petition’s supporters, Kananook Creek Association spokesman Rob Thurley, said that he was “delighted to hear of the minister’s intervention”.
“We are very concerned about the FMAC structure plan going on with the nonsense of preferred heights. The minister has intervened to set mandatory heights so it’s clearly not correct,” Thurley said. “The majority of the community are very concerned about a great wall on the waterfront. The council never had a mandate to build this obscene structure.”
The planning changes announced last Wednesday, 5 July, came as a surprise to many. The gazetted change was announced in the middle of a VCAT hearing considering a high-rise proposal within the affected precinct.
The interim changes were not publicly exhibited before they were approved. Specific questions about the process sent to Kilkenny by The Times were not directly answered by the planning minister.
The interim mandatory three-storey height limit is very different to the wishes of Frankston Council, which just last month voted to approve preferred height limits of 41 metres in the affected precinct. The preferred height limits were contained in the FMAC structure plan, which is now being considered by the planning minister after a lengthy process.
Frankston mayor Nathan Conroy said that council is seeking more information on Kilkenny’s decision. “We eagerly await a thorough understanding of the rationale behind the Victorian government’s introduction of the interim planning controls, announced by minister Kilkenny over part of the FMAC structure plan area, and what implications they may have for the future authorisation of the FMAC structure plan,” he said.
“The FMAC structure plan provides clear guidance on land use, building design, transport outcomes, housing and accommodation. It unlocks new development, facilitates redevelopment, creating valuable employment opportunities, all while protecting our natural assets. This clarity is crucial in the current economic climate, marked by rising interest rates, mounting living costs and the severe shortage of housing stock within a national housing crisis. Our plan will significantly increase housing supply, aligning with the priorities of both the Victorian and Australian governments, capitalising on the remarkable interest shown by the private sector in Frankston and its future.
“We urge the prompt progression of planning scheme amendment C160fra [the FMAC structure plan] to ensure the best possible outcomes for our community. The momentum is here now, let’s get on with it.”
Kananook Creek Association spokesman Rob Thurley says that Frankston Council must consider the value of Kananook Creek and the beach alongside the need for housing. “The waterfront is a major asset, and it is not there or be plundered for a current priority,” he said. “The government has clearly got a problem with providing adequate housing. But you don’t throw away your most valuable asset which should be protected forever on the basis that you’ve got some current problem which can be resolved at other sites around Frankston. This is not the only site available for residential development.
“The FMAC structure plan is for generations that haven’t been born yet, it’s very important that this council considers that just as much as the current housing crisis.”
Urban DC, the developer of the 446-450 Nepean Highway proposal, was contacted for comment.
PLANS for a 16-storey building on the Nepean Highway. Picture: Supplied