By Mara Pattison-Sowden
19th July 2011 02:00:27 AM
THE State Opposition claims there are secret government plans to open up green wedge land to developers and hotel resort operators, but the Coalition Government says it is cleaning up the rules to allow farm gate sales in places such as the Yarra Ranges.
The back and forth conversations have put interface councils on edge over the future of their green wedge areas.
Yarra Ranges Council is one of 17 councils that look after 12 of Melbourne's green wedge areas.
Shadow Planning Minister Brian Tee said the green wedges were the lungs of the city, which is why the previous Labor Government left more green space for Melbourne families than when it came into office in 1999.
“Mr Baillieu believes Melbourne has too much green space, and we believe he is already drawing up plans to concrete over these important environmental refuges,” he said.
Mr Tee said that since Victoria's planning strategy Melbourne @ 2030 was ripped up by Mr Baillieu, the government could now act as it pleased.
Planning Minister Matthew Guy said the Coalition Government would not be allowing wide-scale residential development or industrial development in green wedge zones.
“We have consistently said we would simply audit the anomalies in the laws to allow, for example, farmers to sell their produce at the farm gate, or allow a winery to operate a cellar door,” Mr Guy said.
“There are no plans to suddenly allow residential development in green wedge zones.”
He said the government was reviewing the “permittable land uses” within green wedge zones.
Yarra Ranges councillor Samantha Dunn said a number of councils discussed the concerns at last month's National General Assembly of local government in Canberra, attended by Cr Dunn and Cr Tim Heenan.
“The biggest concerns were around agricultural land and the loss of it,” she said.
“In the Yarra Ranges we tend to take a hard line on ensuring if you want to build on a green wedge area that you're conducting agricultural activity, and you need evidence it's not being converted for something else.”
Last week the government opened a public submission process to allow for Victorians to identify issues of concern within the planning system.
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