Planning Minister Matthew Guy has today announced the final step in ensuring the Victorian Coalition Government's zone reform package delivers productivity growth and drives investment and liveability outcomes for Victorians.
An expert advisory committee consisting of Ministerial Advisory Committee Chairman Geoff Underwood, Chris Canavan QC and Liz Johnstone of the Planning Institute of Australia will review all submissions and provide advice back to the Coalition Government.
With the ten week consultation closing on 21 September the expert advisory committee will report back to the Coalition Government by 30 November 2012, ensuring that zone reform will be in place early next year.
"Having council and industry representatives provide thorough advice back to the Coalition Government and a fair and reasonable review of submissions will ensure that zone reform reflects the views of all Victorians," Mr Guy said.
"This is a marked departure from Labor's sham consultation processes," Mr Guy said.
Earlier this year, the Coalition Government introduced a package of sweeping reforms to planning zones.
Proposed reforms to Victoria's residential, commercial, industrial and rural planning zones include:
- The introduction of a new Neighbourhood Residential Zone, a new General Residential Zone and a new Residential Growth Zone;
- Improvements to the existing Mixed Use Zone, Comprehensive Development Zone and Activity Centre Zone;
- New and more flexible Commercial 1 and Commercial 2 Zones replacing five existing Business zones;
- Reform to support tourism activities in Farming Zones, the Rural Conservation Zone and the Green Wedge Zones; and
- Significant reforms to rural zones to promote the growth of agricultural activity."The Coalition Government considers planning zone reform as a key part of its planning reform agenda and an important step to provide greater certainty to residents, councils and investors," Mr Guy said.
"Modernising Victoria's planning system is not optional; it is a vital plank of social and economic reform for our state's long term future."
5 comments:
If the Liberal Party were serious about reforms, why is it that they SECRETLY changed the DEFINITION of ROOMING HOUSE under the Residential Tenancy Act to include ANY HOUSE WITH ONE BEDROOM OR MORE RENTING TO 4 PEOPLE OR MORE..... So anyone with a house cannot rent more than one room in a house and not more than 3 people meaning that lots of people are breaking their NEW law and means less housing for FRUIT PICKERS this year for farms so my thinking is ....LIBERAL PARTY bringing in this restrictive SOCIALISTIC law is amazing .....will fruit pickers have to sleep in their cars again this year? Moreover the term ROOMING HOUSE does not even appear on the LAND USE TERMS definition used by the Planning Department but handed over to Consumer Affairs to prosecute property owners who now might be breaking their new laws and who normally provide accommodation for a wide range of people. These tenants cannot afford to buy or rent upper class apartments if thats what the intention of these changes was meant to achieve.
Its also amazing that under GREEN WEDGE Zone that a that 5 ANIMALS IS OK without a permit BUT ACCOMMODATION FOR PEOPLE IS PROHIBITED .... other zones need a permit for people in accommodation but not animals.
EVERY ZONE pretty much requires a permit for accommodation [unless it's an expensive investment in caravan park or B & B ] or prohibits it in favour of animals in some cases, although even animal numbers are limited too on farming land. I hardly call this a reform ....which puts people below the status of animals or puts limits on the number of animals. In some cases Boarding Animals is ok with a permit but Boarding people in residential homes and farms is Prohibited unless extensive financial resources and red and green tape hurdles are overcome.
The Liberal Party members who are reading this site should wonder what is really going on in their party and show some real leadership by pointing these anomalies out to the powers that be. NOT HAPPY.
Maybe the Left wing of the Liberal Party should merge with the Labor Party who are likely to win government next time anyway.
Gill, will you be writing a submission on this and other topics you raised?
Yes Mario, have already attempted one submission using their submission form on their website. Not totally happy with it and will be preparing another version soon.
I am also a member of the LAND OWNERS RIGHTS ASSOCIATION aka LORA who are a group of many GWZ land owners around all the districts and they will be preparing another better written submission of one of my/our ideas to the Minister.
Sometimes I get very frustrated with successive Liberal Party govts who offer a fresh approach at election time but still continue with the same socialistic policies of the previous government in relation to the administration of the Residential Tenancy Act whose officers have become like Commissars with Councils who treat landlords with great distaste for DARING to rent rooms in houses to singles. The Rooming House regulations state the a landlord is deemed to be operating a Rooming House if you are offering one room or to more than 3 people in which case the landlord needs to apply for a permit from the local Council under the Health Act. In reality they are discriminating against the landlord and the single tenants whereas houses can be occupied by very large families without a permit. ACCOMMODATION is either a PROHIBITED USE or Permit required throughout most zones in the new scheme. The Liberals are responsible for continuing to vilify the landlords for daring to rent rooms to singles who can't rent other forms of premises due to their poor credit record or wanting short term housing but cant afford motel accommodation. The Land Use term of Rooming House is NOT even listed under head term ACCOMMODATION nor is Crisis Accommodation which was once listed under the Planning Schemes and was dropped at some stage. I could understand the need to register two storey houses with 10 people but to require a landlord or homeowner to register with 4 people in a single storey house with one or two bedrooms, eg fruit pickers is taking the matter too far, yet the so called Liberal Party does NIL to swing the pendulum back to reality to get rid of the RED & GREEN TAPE. IMO the PROHIBITION of renting housing to singles without a permit whilst still charging rates and taxes seems to have destroyed the idea of Freehold ownership of Real Estate. Accommodation use in Residential Zones should be AS OF RIGHT. I feel like I am living between a Socialist state when Labor is in and a quasi Facist state when the Liberals are in govt. Tell me I am wrong.
What reasons are given for a permit to be required for 3 or more people given a room each in a house?
Is it to do with kitchen facilities?
Toilet facilities?
Food preparation?
Do you know?
There is no good reason because a house which houses a normal family of which there are few these days anyway can house a large family of 6 or maybe 10 people without a permit, yet both the State and the Councils wish to discriminate against the property owners right to rent out rooms to singles.
In my opinion Accommodation should be an AS OF RIGHT use without a permit, yet in every zone Accommodation needs to be applied for and to my mind it puts an extra layer of beauracracy to providing accommodation for singles who are being discriminated against in favour of single unit families quite apart that homeowners rights are also being taken away by a so called Liberal Government. This takes away from the value of FREEHOLD TITLE ownership of property owners by the State & Local government seeking to monopolise the use of freehold title land while still demanding ever increasing rates and taxes..
There is no good reason to call a one bedroom unit or two unit or 6 bedroom house 4 or 6 people a Rooming House if it is located on one ground level, but some years ago there was a fire in an old two story shop in brinswick where two people died and now every house with is claimed to unsafe for singles but not for the typical family. The previous government at the behest of the socialist Tenants Union changed the laws to these ridiculous regime of control by the Minister of Consumer Affairs and my representations have fallen on deaf ears. A lazy government too fearful of the left wing of the Liberal Party is my only conclusion.
Alexander Seccombe| Consumer Affairs Advisor to
Office of the Hon. Michael O’Brien MP claims there have not been any changes to the Act since 2002 but i dispute that which i show you in my proposed Media Release if your readers are interested.
Post a Comment