Melbourne sprawl: Planning for the rich

Vanguard August 2012 p. 4
Bill F

Planning and development of cities under capitalism is dictated by the need to generate profits for big business, and not the real needs of the people for a relaxed and sustainable environment with accessible amenities and services.

In July, Planning Minister Mathew Guy announced changes to zoning rules in Melbourne, expanding the boundaries by 6,000 hectares. Three categories of residential zones will be created, but there was no detail of where they will be. In the absence of such detail, the brief two month consultation period is a mere token, and limits the ability of people to object to any changes until it is too late.

Not likely to object are the wealthy owners of large properties in the leafy suburbs; the rich and filthy rich. Most of them will continue to be safe and secure in ‘Neighbourhood residential zones’, where sub-divisions and high rise developments are banned or restricted.

The rest of us, the working people, will live in either ‘General residential zones’ with so-called “modest growth and development” or in ‘Residential growth zones’ alongside high-density development. New developments will be able to go ahead without the traditional planning permits, nor will residents have the right to be notified, or to object or appeal.   

Changes to commercial zoning will strip the right of local councils to set limits on the development of shopping centres, hotels, high-rise apartments, car parking and other issues that defend their communities. Even the “green wedges” around Melbourne will be opened up for large scale commercial tourism venues and industrialised farming.

This only benefits the big developers, the finance companies and banks, and corporate investors; in other words, the usual suspects within the ruling class. Planning expert, RMIT Professor Michael Buxton commented, “Allowing developers to build dysfunctional suburbs, big retailers to destroy small business and big agriculture to ruin landscapes will advantage only them, at massive cost to everyone else.”

The outer suburbs of Melbourne are already lacking amenities such as decent schools, hospitals, public transport, social services, and recreation facilities. The new planning zones will only add to and magnify the existing problems for working people living “on the outer”.