RALLY TO STOP THE PLANNING DISASTER

Matthew Guy is proposing planning changes that would “urbanise” ​​our precious green wedges by allowing schools, medical centres, service stations, hotels, shops and other suburban facilities to be built anywhere across the countryside.

 

He is also proposing new residential zones will allow shops, offices, medical centres and churches to be established without a planning permit in many residential streets. The new commercial zones setup a retailing and commercial free-for-all. Much of Melbourne will have little protection against piecemeal development. Our historic strip shopping centres will be demolished or distorted to facades in front of medium and high-rise development.

All this would be a disaster. It is completely unacceptable to communities in and around the city. We will all join to deliver that message loud and clear to the Baillieu Government on Thursday 29 November.

We ask you to join us to defend Melbourne and its Green Wedges –-- for you, and for your children and grandchildren.

Planning Minister Guy’s proposals are “a ‘hit job’ on Green Wedges, according to RMIT University Planning Professor Michael Buxton. They would give developers carte blanche to build across the peninsula’s beautiful open farmland and the environmental and agricultural treasures and landscapes of all the green wedges.That means we would lose it forever.

 

For more information, please see Green Wedges Coalition submissionhttp://gwc.org.au/submissions/2012/planningzonesreview, one of 2000 received by Government despite a brief ten week period for submissions and virtually no community consultation, except by alert councils at Manningham and Mornington Peninsula. 

Mornington Peninsula groups are hiring buses to get supporters to the rally and home again. The aim is to get to the city mid-morning so you can shop, meet friends &c then attend the rally at 1pm. Details of route, times and prices are being worked out. If you are interested in the bus option, please contact Peter Hall (Flinders Community Association)pchall@iprimus.com.au (5989 0140) or David Harrison (Red Hill Community Action) wordart@pac.com.au(5989 2285). They believe seats will fill fast, so don’t delay! 

HELP GET THE MESSAGE OUT. PASS IT ON TO YOUR GROUP, YOUR FRIENDS AND YOUR COLLEAGUES! IF YOU DON’T LIVE ON THE PENINSULA, ORGANISE YOUR OWN BUS OR COME WITH YOUR BANNERS ON THE TRAIN.

Green Wedges: 
Tuesday, 20 November, 2012