KINGSTON Council has issued a renewed call for changes around planned Suburban Rail Loop stations in the Cheltenham/Highett and Clayton precincts.
Council issued a statement last week saying that an independent Standing Advisory Committee report on the plans, published earlier this year, “raised several concerns that closely reflect issues we have been advocating for.”
“Despite these findings, the Victorian Government has now proceeded to approve the planning scheme amendment,” the council statement read.
Kingston mayor Georgina Oxley says that council will continue advocating for “getting the planning and infrastructure right as the area prepares for significant growth.”
“We’ve been very clear from the start that we support the opportunities the Suburban Rail Loop can bring, but that growth needs to be properly planned for and supported,” Cr Oxley said. “It was encouraging to see the Standing Advisory Committee recognise many of the same concerns we have been raising, particularly around open space, community infrastructure, traffic modelling, sustainability and the need for greater certainty about how the precincts will actually be funded and delivered.
“The committee was clear that important work shouldn’t simply be pushed into the future. We agree. Unfortunately, the government has now moved ahead with the planning scheme amendments despite those findings. That makes it even more important that the issues identified by the independent committee are properly addressed as the precinct planning continues.
“Accountability must exist to ensure the clearly documented concerns of the expert independent SAC, who heard submissions across 16 weeks of hearings, will be addressed.”
The Suburban Rail Loop Authority was contacted for comment.
One of the key concerns outlined by Kingston Council is a lack of designated open space and community infrastructure. The Standing Advisory Committee report read that “the proponent’s approach to planning for open space and community infrastructure is to defer the detailed planning (including identifying the necessary land) until after the draft amendments are implemented and the land is rezoned. The committee has fundamental concerns with this approach.”
“If the land needed for critical open space and community infrastructure is not identified and set aside at the outset, acquiring appropriate sites will become more difficult and more expensive,” the report read. “Opportunities for appropriately located (or co-located) open space and community facilities may be lost, and surrounding development may proceed that permanently compromises the suitability of preferred sites (particularly for open space, which requires good solar access). A more detailed assessment of open space and community infrastructure requirements needs to be done to confirm the quantities, locations and types of open space and community infrastructure required to serve the needs of the future precinct communities.
“To ensure the precinct visions can be achieved, further work is required in relation to open space planning, community infrastructure planning and pedestrian links before the draft amendments are implemented.”
The SRL East structure plans were gazetted in July. Cr Oxley said “in areas of significant growth in established Melbourne we have learnt the hard way that retrofitting critical infrastructure after development is much more costly and very complex.”
“We now need to see the recommendations and concerns raised by the independent expert committee properly reflected in what happens next, even though the planning scheme amendments have now been approved. That means securing new open space, properly planning for community infrastructure, understanding the needs of the future population and making sure transport and sustainability measures are delivered early, not as an afterthought,” Cr Oxley said. “Kingston will continue to advocate strongly for our community and work constructively with whoever is responsible for delivering the Suburban Rail Loop precincts. There is one opportunity to get this right and ensure the people who will live, work and spend time in these precincts in the future have the infrastructure and amenity they need.”
To view the full Standing Advisory Committee report visit planningpanels.vic.gov.au/panels-and-committees/projects/suburban-rail-loop-east-precincts-standing-advisory-committee
First published in the Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News – 9 September 2026