Planning and Environment Act 1987 AMENDMENT C2 BAYSIDE PLANNING SCHEME Report of a Panel Pursuant to Sections 153, 155 and 157 of the Act Panel: Ms Kathryn Mitchell, Chair Mr John Keaney Ms Pauline Semmens August 2001 Bayside Planning Scheme: Amendment C2 Report of a Panel: August 2001 AMENDMENT C2 BAYSIDE PLANNING SCHEME Report of a Panel Pursuant to Sections 153, 155 and 157 of the Act Ms Kathryn Mitchell, Chair Mr John Keaney, Member Ms Pauline Semmens, Member August 2001 TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE NO. 2 Bayside Planning Scheme: Amendment C2 Report of a Panel: August 2001 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ....................................................................................................................... 5 1. THE PANEL ................................................................................................................................... 8 1.1 THE PANEL.................................................................................................................... 8 1.2 DIRECTIONS HEARING................................................................................................... 8 1.3 SITE VISITS ................................................................................................................... 9 1.4 PROCEDURAL MATTERS ................................................................................................ 9 1.5 OBLIGATIONS ................................................................................................................ 9 2. THE STRATEGIC BASIS OF AMENDMENT C2 ........................................................................ 11 2.1 BASIS OF NEW FORMAT PLANNING SCHEMES ............................................................. 11 2.2 CITY OF BAYSIDE RESIDENTIAL STRATEGY (1999)..................................................... 12 2.3 CITY OF BAYSIDE URBAN CHARACTER REPORT (1999) .............................................. 14 2.4 CITY OF BAYSIDE VEGETATION CHARACTER ASSESSMENT (1999)............................. 15 2.5 CITY OF BAYSIDE HEIGHT CONTROL STUDY (2000) ................................................... 16 3. THE AMENDMENT ..................................................................................................................... 18 3.1 THE EXHIBITED AMENDMENT C2................................................................................ 18 3.2 AMENDMENT C2 IN SUMMARY.................................................................................... 20 3.3 THE MODIFIED AMENDMENT C2*............................................................................... 21 4. A SNAPSHOT OF BAYSIDE........................................................................................................ 23 5. SUBMISSIONS AND HEARINGS ................................................................................................ 26 5.1 EXHIBITION AND SUBMISSIONS ................................................................................... 26 5.2 SUBMISSIONS MADE TO THE PANEL ............................................................................ 26 5.3 SUMMARY OF KEY ISSUES........................................................................................... 29 6. PLANNING CONTEXT ................................................................................................................ 31 6.1 RESCODE .................................................................................................................... 31 6.2 STATE POLICY PLANNING FRAMEWORK...................................................................... 38 6.3 STRATEGIC ASSESSMENT GUIDELINES – SPPF............................................................ 40 6.4 MUNICIPAL STRATEGIC STATEMENT........................................................................... 42 6.5 STRATEGIC ASSESSMENT GUIDELINES - MSS ............................................................. 44 6.6 LOCAL PLANNING POLICIES ........................................................................................ 46 6.7 MINISTERIAL DIRECTIONS – LOCAL VARIATIONS ....................................................... 49 7. POPULATION AND HOUSING ................................................................................................... 54 8. HEIGHT ....................................................................................................................................... 60 8.1 EXISTING HEIGHT CONTROLS IN BAYSIDE .................................................................. 60 3 Bayside Planning Scheme: Amendment C2 Report of a Panel: August 2001 8.2 BAYSIDE HEIGHT CONTROL STUDY ............................................................................ 61 8.3 BAYSIDE URBAN CHARACTER REPORT ....................................................................... 65 8.4 EXHIBITED AND PROPOSED HEIGHT CONTROLS .......................................................... 66 8.5 HEIGHT CONTROLS AND RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS........................... 67 8.6 HEIGHT CONTROLS IN NEW FORMAT PLANNING SCHEMES ......................................... 68 8.7 FORESHORE HEIGHT CONTROL.................................................................................... 73 8.8 INLAND HEIGHT CONTROL .......................................................................................... 73 8.9 COMMERCIAL AREA HEIGHT CONTROL ...................................................................... 76 8.10 NODE/GATEWAY HEIGHT CONTROL ........................................................................... 78 9. DENSITY ...................................................................................................................................... 81 9.1 EXISTING AND PROPOSED DENSITY CONTROLS IN BAYSIDE........................................ 81 9.2 DENSITY CONTROLS IN NEW FORMAT PLANNING SCHEMES ....................................... 83 9.3 DENSITY ANALYSIS..................................................................................................... 87 10. VEGETATION PROTECTION OVERLAY.................................................................................... 89 10.1 PROPOSED VEGETATION PROTECTION OVERLAY ........................................................ 89 10.2 VEGETATION ANALYSIS .............................................................................................. 94 11. PANEL CONCLUSIONS............................................................................................................... 98 12. PANEL RECOMMENDATIONS ................................................................................................. 101 APPENDICES 1. Letter from Directions Hearing and Panel Timetable. 2. Exhibited Amendment C2. 3. List of Submittors to Amendments C2 and C2*. 4. Minutes of Council Meeting - 23 October 2000. 5. Modified Panel DDO (Height). 4 Bayside Planning Scheme: Amendment C2 Report of a Panel: August 2001 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. In 1997, the then Minister for Planning and Local Government announced that all planning schemes in Victoria were to be changed to give them a more explicit strategic basis. The Victoria Planning Provisions (VPPs) provided the “model” structure for the new schemes. In the late 1990s all council schemes in Victoria were exhibited and were evaluated by an Independent Panel and Advisory Committee. The “new format” schemes were gradually introduced over a two year period from October 1998. The new format Bayside Planning Scheme was gazetted on 24 February 2000. 2. When the Minister introduced the Bayside scheme it contained a number of requirements of Council to conduct further research into important matters in the municipality. This further work included the preparation of a housing strategy to guide future residential development in the municipality. 3. Bayside City Council promptly set about the task of conducting a “Residential Strategy”. In the same context they also conducted an Urban Character Report; a Vegetation Study and a Height Control Study. These studies were all the subject of extensive community input. The Panel compliments Council for its commitment to undertaking this research. 4. At the completion of the strategic work, Council sought to implement the findings by exhibiting Amendment C2 to the Bayside Planning Scheme. 5. Council regarded Amendment C2 as an exhibited amendment without giving it its full endorsement. Council wished to assess community input before endorsing the amendment. 6. The amendment was exhibited for two months in June and July 2000 and it attracted 136 submissions. 7. At its meeting on 23rd October 2000, Council considered Amendment C2 and the submissions which had been made to it. Council decided to make substantial changes to Amendment C2. This version became known as Amendment C2* and it is this version which has the support of Council. The Panel regards Amendment C2* as Bayside Council’s submission to the exhibited Amendment C2. 8. An Independent Panel was convened to hear submissions and, at the Directions Hearing on 6 February 2001, it directed that the changes to the amendment made as result of the 23 October 2000 Council meeting be informally exhibited to all submittors. A further 236 submissions were received. 9. The Independent Panel then conducted public hearings at Bayside City Council in May 2001. The Panel also inspected numerous sites within Bayside during and after the hearings. 5 Bayside Planning Scheme: Amendment C2 Report of a Panel: August 2001 10. In June 2000, at much the same time as Amendment C2 was exhibited, the State Government