City of Sandringham
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CITY OF SANDRINGHAM Planning of retail centres 711 . 5522 0194 51 SAN I I J - -----~-- -~~--- ~-~ 1 DEPUTA'I'ION '1'0 THE MINISTER FOR PLANNING The Honourable, L.S. Lieberman, M.P. r, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANDRINGHAM PLANNING OF RETAIL CENTRES THURSDAY 16th &UGUST, 1979 Dear Mr. Minister, Thank you for the opportunity to put before you matters of serious concern to the Council of the City of Sandringh~m. The Council of the City of Sandringham assumed its town planning responsibilities in 1948 with the adoption of the Sandringham Planning Scheme for its industrial area. Since that time most of the municipality has become fully developed. The coastal residenti~l character of Sandringham largely reflecti the vision and the long term strategies of past Councils with recent development superimposed on the older coastal settlements without disturbing t~e character and identity of the city. In essence these strategies, through the Councils local government and coastal management roles, often through direct consultation with other public authoritiei, have resulted in:- - the provision of metropolitan Melbourne and the residents of Sandringham with a coastal reserve which" includes some of the finest beaches in the metropolitan area (mainly funded from Council revenues) not spoilt by inappropriate development. "" through the long term purchase of indiviaual allotments, a magnif- icent municipal golf-co~rse which is completemented by one of the te~ best privately owned golf courses iothe world. - throu~the operation of its planning controls development of a relatively attractive and significant industri~! - employment ar2il. preserva~jon of 5 acres of some of the last remaining indigenous heathland in the Metropolitan area. -" development "of "the" charm "and character of" the Beaum"aris""area as a coast~l suburb through retention of much of the coastal vegetation. • ,/2, extensive provision of low income housing inthe Hampton area 'inconjunction with the Housing Commission of Victoria, without disruption to the Hampton community. - the development of planning policies for flat development which, although resulting in flats comprising % of the residences I has limited impact on the residential character of the city. I - the retention of an extensive system of ~ublic transport which . i is.now complemented by a mUllicipal community bus for the eld~rly (and handicapped:). the proviston of an extensive range of community service facilities adjacent to the shopping centres at the public transport nodes. the consolidation and enhancement of the original coastal shopping centres into a comprehensive network of retail centres com~lemented by the development of the establishment of the Beaumaris Community Shopping Centre and the Bluff-B~lcombe Road series of neighbourhood centres. The Council believes that the form and character of development of the City of Sandringham is one of which ·the community is proud and shoul~ not be lightly destroyed or marred. ~ The Council believes that its retail centres being at the focal points of community services and public transport as well a~ functioriing as local employment centres, form the heart of the day to day social life of the c6mmunity, Whilst ~he Council encourages the upgrading of .the retail facilities which service the community, it believes that in developed areas, the form and location of new facilities should strengthen and reinforce the ov~rall network of centres~ not disrupt it. The essential reason for this deputation is that Council believes that recent trends at ;eta~l development, post a significant threat to the .character of existing community r~tail and service ceri~res, and to the plinned provision and distribution of metropolitah retail facilities. J ! J MATTERS FOR DISCUSSION 1. The Role of Local Government in Metropolitan Planning and" it~ right to proper consultation with the Planning Authority. 2. Review of Planning Policies for Retail Centres 3. The Existing Community-Retail Centr~ Network 4. Adequacy ?f the Existing N~twork and Possible future Developments which could impact on it. 5, Redevelopment of Council~'owned prope:rties in the Sandringharn Shop'pin~ Cen-t:.E!. , i ~ t ! I i 1. The Role of Local Government in Metropolitan Planning and its right to proper consultation by the Planning Authority 1, 1. The Gouncil believes that .Local Government, being the' democratically elected representatives of the local communities, should be.responsible for determining planning strategies which directly impact on the local community. 1 , 2. Equally, the Council believes that in deciding matters of regional importance that the regional planning authority should ~ake strong cognizance of the views and properly consult with the local authority in determining matters which affect those communities. 1. 3. The Council believes that this 1S the spirit and explicit intent of the Government through the provisions of the Town and Country Planning Act, specifically Section 53(6) of the Act, The Council believes that the Bains Report will reaffirm the importance of this municipal responsibility. 1. 4. The Council would respectfully submit that the recent reconstitution of the Board of Works, and ineffective system of Area Commissions has effectively disen~ranchised metroporitan Local Governments which unlike other municipalities no longer have direct representation in the Planning Authority. • c;. J.. ...... a Similarly, the Council is concerned that there are no elected municipal representatives on the Boa~d of Wurks Technical Advisory Committee on retailing, despite the fact th~t Councils are charged with the responsibility for admini$teringthe planning schemes, and levying separate rates, providing the primary service facilities and so on)in retail centres. I, 6 ~ With regard to ·the Building and Development Commission Report on Planning a~d the recent Amendment of the. Act, the Council accepts the principle that C6uncils should become the local "orie-stop" shop for all plarrning perlnits, however it would be most ~oncerned that the function of Local.Gov~rnment does not' become one purely administrative expedience for the regional a.uthority ,that its current planning prerogativ'es were not curtail~d and that it retained the ability to contest decisions of the regional planning where it believed that they ran contrary to the interests of proper planning for the local co~munity. 1.7" The Council respectfully submits that it is its prercgative to ensure proper plannin~ pract~ce in relation to matters which affect the local community: - it should not be denied all information supplied to the regional authority by a developer on the g r 0 u n d s 0 f " con f ide n t i ali t y " - it must be able to contest'plannjng decisions made under a metropolitan ~ianning scheme affecting the provision, location and distribution of l~nd uses where they impact upon the particular municipality, even though the actual'site may be outside a Council's municipal bonndaries. however the Cou~cil 1S concerned that when, in the administration of the planning schem~ consistent with the interpretatiois placed on the scheme by ·the planning authority, it 'is enjoined in a Supreme Court action for an order to review on a matter of planning scheme interpretation, the planning authority is not party to, such action ~nd the local Council must carry the full burden of the cost of the action, ,. 2. Retail Network S~~~tegy .2 .1. The Council wishes to thank the Government for its initiative in requesting the M.M,B.W. and the Town & Country Planning Board to ·prepare.retail planning Policies, 2 , 2 • The cost to all paFties and the problems highlighted by the recent Werribee, Keilor, Geelong, Frankston, Morwell, Knox, Doncaster and Moorabbin/Sandringham retail development proposals, have emphasised the need for such policies. During the past three"years, building approvals in Victoria ha"~' increased both in the number of· shops ~.'J' by 48% and a value by 97% - A.B.S,, June 1979. Whilst this may be largely attributable to significant increases in real personal incomes in the early 1970s - the relatively higher returns on retail development - an 'apparent preference by financiers for tetail ~evelopment proposals. the d9pressed state of the housing ~ndustry/market. - high interest rates - continuing changes in the economy and retail supply (imports, etc.) and distribution networks I the Council believes that the resultant retail development proposals has not always accorded with the proper planned provision of retail facilities for the benefit of the community as a whole. 1. 4. Specifically, the Council is concerned that there is currently large scale provision of additional retail floor space, which will in many cases be unsupport~ble for many years. - the location of much of this floor space outside the e~isting centre network, rather than selectively ,uJ:'>grading. and strengthening the established network of commupity and commercial centres. - the significant investment by the community, in particular local traders, community organizations, ! public authorities and Local Government inthe existing network of. retail~community centres;developed --- ---~------------------------------------------~--------------------------------------------------- Re!ai~~~etw?rk Strategy (cont'd) ·in acco:t-danc:c with ·theestablished ·planning schei'ne, will be written off in the current push for retail expansio~, that the warning by Sir Keith Campbell (Financial Review 21/7/78) that Australia was in danger of a serious over-provision of retail floor-space will " be realized in Victqria, because the Council believ~s that this will most seriously impactoD the retail facil·ities in the established community centres, which, in general,have higher cost structures and more marginal viability ,thereby causing a serious contraction in- the ftinct~on and the range of goods and services available in these centres and seriousl~ disrupting the overall network (distribution) of retail-service centres. 2 . 5 . The Council accepts that the development of the Regional ShoEping Centres during the 1960's, as fore-shadowed by the 1954 report of the Board of Works, provided a metropolitan network of regional (mini - C.B.D.) .