In September 2023, the Victorian Government released its Victoria’s Housing Statement; The decade ahead 2024-2034, setting a target to build 800,000 homes in Victoria over the next decade.
The Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) are working in collaboration with the Victorian Planning Authority (VPA) to deliver the Activity Centre Program, which is a part of the new Housing Statement. The program seeks to review existing policy in place for 10 initial activity centres around Melbourne to encourage the development of 60,000 new homes. Moorabbin (Hampton East) Activity Centre is one of these 10 activity centres, along with Broadmeadows, Camberwell Junction, Chadstone, Epping, Frankston, Niddrie (Keilor Road), North Essendon, Preston (High Street) and Ringwood.
Project objective
The Victorian Government’s objective is to deliver 60,000 new homes through a review of building heights and design requirements, and changes to existing rules to support appropriate development.
The program will allow the Victorian Government to deliver more homes in the right locations to improve housing affordability and increase housing choice.
Council's objective is to advocate on behalf of the community and raise awareness of the significant changes that will be occurring. Council is also concerned regarding the extent of the changes that will taking place in the municipality. As the Victorian Government will be the decision makers in this process, Council will work to best represent community views/sentiments to help influence the future of the precinct.
Project impacts
While we do not know yet what the Victorian Government’s review will entail, it is envisaged that this program will take a look into the existing building height controls and the size of the current activity centre boundary.
There will likely be a mix of positive and negative impacts experienced by the community, which could include:
- Increased building heights in the area of both commercial and residential developments
- Environmental impacts – removal of trees and vegetation due to development
- Changes to parking restrictions in the area
- Increased traffic and congestion
- Project cost and whether it is a good use of money
- Community’s ability to be involved in the decision making process
- Concern by what Council’s role is in the matter and how Council can influence the decision-making process.
What information do we need from the community?
As this is a project being delivered by the Victorian Government, Council has little ability to halt this work. To influence this project, Council will be collecting feedback from its community and using this information to advocate to the Victorian Government.
We will be seeking community feedback to ensure that Council's advocacy aligns with community views/sentiment. The community will be able to comment on matters such as the activity centre boundary and planning controls but ultimately the Victorian Government are the decision makers.
What can the community influence?
- Satisfaction with current planning controls
- Vision of the future precinct based on current neighbourhood character
- Management of impacts during construction
What can’t the community influence?
- Scope of Activity Centre Program
- Inclusion of Moorabbin as one of the 10 Activity Centres
- Delivery of more houses in the activity centre
- Extent of the activity centre boundary
- Future planning controls including height limits, setbacks, built form
Stakeholders and community
This stakeholder assessment is a generalised understanding of sections of the community that have a connection to the project or matter. This information is used to understand the types of tools and techniques that will achieve the strongest and most effective outcomes for engagement and communication.
Impact: What level of change the stakeholder / community segment may experience as a result of the project / matter
Interest: What level of interest has been expressed or is anticipated
Influence: Reference to the IAP2 Spectrum
As the DTP, alongside the VPA are the facilitators of this project, they technically own the project and their level of impact, interest and influence have not been assessed.
As Council itself is a stakeholder in this project, we have self-assessed where we stand, alongside residents, business owners and other stakeholders we wish to keep informed of the project through our advocacy efforts.
Stakeholder / community | Impact | Interest | Influence |
| Bayside City Council | M | H | Consult |
| Bayside residents within the activity centre | H | H | Consult |
| Bayside residents within close vicinity of the activity centre | H | M | Inform |
| Bayside business owners within the activity centre | M | H | Consult |
| Bayside business owners within close vicinity of the activity centre | L | M | Inform |
| Local MPs | H | H | Inform |
| Residents Action Groups | H | H | Consult |
| Local environmental groups | L | H | Consult |
| General Bayside residents | L | L | Inform |
Selected tools and techniques
As previously mentioned in this Engagement Plan Overview, Council is only a stakeholder in this project. The facilitators and therefore decision makers of what tools and techniques will be utilised to communicate the project are the DTP & VPA officers. Council officers have been informed that the following tools and techniques will be used:
- Online survey through the Engage Vic platform
- Digital advertising
- Postcard via letterbox drop (1km)
- Community Reference Groups
Council will be collecting its own feedback and expanding on State Government’s communications to ensure that we can be a voice for the community.
Council’s key tools for communicating the project
- Social media posts, especially sponsored posts to specific target audiences that match our stakeholder mapping
- Links from social media to our Have Your Say page to take the survey and subscribe for updates.
- Separate links to the Engage Vic website so that the community can also provide feedback directly.
Council’s key methods for gathering feedback
- Online engagement through Have Your Say, including opportunities to ask questions and provide feedback through our own Survey
- Survey (can be printed upon request)
- Separate links to the Engage Vic website so that the community can also provide feedback directly.
Project timelines
The first phase of community engagement by Council will commence within a few days from when State Government has completed their mail out – which is scheduled the week after the Easter long weekend. Engagement from State Government is proposed to finish by end of April – which is when Council will also wrap up this engagement.
Initial meetings with the Community Reference Groups will occur in April 2024.
Decision-making process
Council’s communications must be clear that we do not own this project and are therefore not the decision makers. However, Council will utilise the community’s feedback to help inform our response to DTP & the VPA.
When the DTP & VPA publicly share any technical documents, Council will make this information available on the Have Your Say webpage.
More information
Clare Beames, Senior Strategic Planner via email at cbeames@bayside.vic.gov.au or phone 03 9599 4839
