Wednesday, 16 October 2024

Riddells Creek planning

Sarah MANSFIELD (Western Victoria) (19:08): (1191) My adjournment is for the Minister for Planning, and the action I am seeking is for her to use her decision-making power through the development facilitation pathway to reject the development application on Amess Road in Riddells Creek.

The community of Riddells Creek, on the northern outskirts of Melbourne, is facing a major new development. The proposal being prepared by Echelon Planning on behalf of Banner Asset Management would pack 3800 new residents into a site which currently only has one main road feeding into and out of the town. At the 2021 census Riddells Creek was home to a population of 3600, so this proposal would effectively double its population. While development in communities such as Riddells Creek is not only inevitable but perhaps also necessary as we endeavour to increase access to housing in semi-regional communities, large-scale development without adequate infrastructure to support such significant population growth is short-sighted and risks establishing unsustainable communities.

History has shown us that when there is inadequate integration between the interests of developers and the needs of the community in regard to access to public transport, green spaces and places for social connection, this has significantly detrimental effects on the local community. And the responsibility of the state government is to invest beyond the basics. Take high-density developments in my electorate, for example. Growing communities on the outskirts of Greater Geelong remain inadequately supported by public or active transport infrastructure – one only needs to look at Armstrong Creek. This means that at a time when we need to be reducing our reliance on cars – and with haste – the main arterials into town are clogged with commuters, often a single driver in each vehicle, because they have to rely on a car to get to the business centre of Geelong for school, work or play. Yes, we need more homes, but developers cannot get away with turning paddocks into high-density housing and making a mint while providing no community amenities and infrastructure and then moving on. We all thrive when we live in good-quality communities, not just in sprawl with no way in or out except by car.