Nearly every train station in Glen Eira — Bentleigh, Carnegie, Caulfield, Elsternwick, Glen Huntly, Ormond and Murrumbeena — has now been classified as an activity centre subject to new planning reforms.

Council has spent the past four years undertaking detailed structure planning for Caulfield, Elsternwick, Carnegie, Glen Huntly, and Bentleigh. These plans represent a significant investment in the future planning of our centres and have been developed in close consultation with our community. We have carefully balanced the need for increased housing density with appropriate building heights and setbacks. This protects sunlight to public spaces and preserves the character of our much-loved heritage high streets.

We are particularly disappointed that Elsternwick has been included in this announcement just two weeks after we commenced public exhibition of a Minister-authorised planning scheme amendment to implement our Elsternwick Structure Plan. The sudden introduction of an Activity Centre Plan at this stage raises serious concerns about how the state-led process aligns with state-authorised local planning efforts.

We acknowledge that making housing more diverse and affordable is a challenge as Melbourne grows, and we think it’s reasonable that areas with strong public transport and community services play a role in supporting increased development. But this must be done responsibly and with genuine community involvement.

Given the extensive work already done by Council, we call on the Minister for Planning to work closely with councils and communities on the preparation of these Activity Centre Plans. The first round of state-led activity centre planning kept councils at arm’s length. We know our centres well and we — and the people who live here — have valuable insights to share about how to ensure they remain liveable and welcoming for generations to come.