Glen Eira Housing Strategy

What is a housing strategy?

A housing strategy is a document that tells us where different types of new housing should be located. Housing strategies aim to balance the community’s changing housing needs with liveability, environmental sustainability and the character of the neighbourhood.

Why have we prepared a housing strategy?

Under the Victorian Government’s metropolitan strategic plan — Plan Melbourne, Glen Eira is required to plan for residential growth. Indeed all councils are expected to have a strategy to guide housing growth that covers a 15-year period.

Glen Eira’s last Housing Strategy was prepared in 2001. The planning system has changed over this time and in addition, Glen Eira has since declared a Climate Emergency. We need to plan to ensure we are prepared to manage continued housing needs in the future.

How is it developed?

Our Housing Strategy has been developed using:

• Population and household forecasts
• A review of current housing and the capacity to accommodate new housing
• Assessments of existing neighbourhood character
• The recommendations of other relevant Council strategies and studies such as Glen Eira’s Urban Forest Strategy, Climate Emergency Response Strategy and Integrated Transport Strategy
• Extensive engagement with the community

This research was used to determine the kinds of changes that may be needed to thoughtfully guide growth. This includes selecting suitable locations for different levels of growth.

The Glen Eira Housing Strategy includes the drafting of Preferred Neighbourhood Character Statements which provide the vision and guidance for the design of new development in each area. This will help us to draft Planning Scheme policies that have previously lacked this kind of guidance.

What does it do to help the environment?

The Glen Eira Housing Strategy helps us address climate change by being specific about the location of growth in Glen Eira. For example, it supports more homes to be built close to shops, services and public transportation. This encourages people to walk, cycle or use trains, trams and buses, which reduce air pollution and traffic. Smaller, newer homes also use less energy compared to larger, older ones.

The Strategy also has a focus on recovering and increasing canopy tree cover over residential areas to keep neighbourhoods cooler. This will result in the drafting of policies that encourage the planting of canopy trees in new housing developments — to keep neighbourhoods cooler and support a healthier environment for residents and wildlife.

Where are we in the process?

What are the steps in a planning scheme amendment?

Council has drafted updated Planning Scheme policies and controls to implement the main directions of the Housing Strategy. Planning Scheme Amendment C255 is necessary to bring the new policy into effect.

Public exhibition (including community engagement) is part of this process. If the Minister for Planning authorises the amendment to be prepared and exhibited, we follow a specific statutory process (see below), where members of the community have the opportunity to make written submissions to outline their views on the changes suggested to the Planning Scheme.