Is Protect Fitzroy North anti-development ? No
We have stated we would welcome the reasonable, liveable, 176 apartment complex already approved with plans for the site in 2003. The plans reviewed and approved as appropriate by Panels Victoria.
Our members and supporters includes people in adjoining apartments, the housing estate residents on the border, and the singles, and families, in the cottages and terraces beside the site, who all thought this was all sorted 13 years ago.
The completely over-the-top scale of the latest application has increased our membership to include many of the extended community from surrounding suburbs who love Edinburgh Gardens. Folks who visit regularly to walk dogs, push strollers, have a family bbq or just chill with friends.
Do High-Rise apartments improve affordability ? No - If not why not ?
It was explained to us at the Public Meeting in Prof Buxton's address, high-rise developments REDUCE affordability, (see the recording of his talk on the Public Meeting page)
My understanding of what Prof Buxton said is high-rise force the price of land up, because high-rise can afford to pay more. The people who are selling the land want the most money they can get.
High-rise can afford to pay the most, because all that extra cost is passed on across more apartments. It is the same reason shops are being replaced with apartments. Apartments pay more than shops. More apartments pay even more.
High-rise cost more to run so they have much higher body corporate fees - so they cost more to live in or rent - forever.
The contract to manage a high-rise complex is an additional saleable item, sold to the highest bidder - and the winning bidder will naturally want to maximise their profits.
But people need to live where the infrastructure is, to prevent urban sprawl. Doesn't Yarra have to pull its weight ?
Doubling the population of Abbotsford in less than five years has not slowed urban sprawl one tiny little bit.
Implementing policies to prevent urban sprawl is the responsibility of the State Government, not the City of Yarra.
The City of Yarra and City of Port Phillip are already the two highest density municipalities in Melbourne, outside the CBD.
Yarra has always done more than its fair share, is doing more than its fair share, and will continue to do more than its fair share. Go to the City Of Yarra website planning page and see for yourself the huge list of applications for development.
The terraces and cottages through-out Fitzroy North, are already medium density. Human scale re-developments (3-6 storey) of formerly industrial sites is transitioning Fitzroy North and Clifton Hill to high density. Fitzroy and Abottsford already there.
Keeping developments at a human scale, while increasing density steadily, means the impact can be managed. This approach has delivered, and can continue to deliver, resilient housing with heritage and live-ability maintained.
There is no doubt there have been some shockers built. The solution is not to build more and bigger shockers.
Why is there such a push for developing high-rises ?
Money. Profit. There is massive demand from local and overseas investors, high-rise product delivers the most money, to the land owner, the developer, the public relations firm, the consultants, and real-estate advertising media.
The guardian has run a number of articles from the English perspective on the same pressures behind the 'development tsunami' which has descended on the City of Yarra.
Globalisation is not going away, but we can learn from the successes and mistakes of the rest of the world, and follow the lead of our council, who are focusing on protecting and enriching our welcoming City.
https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2014/dec/08/jan-gehl-make-cities-liveable-urban-rethinker
Why did the council take the developer to VCAT ? (as reported in AFR)
The council did not take the developer to VCAT. The developer took the council to VCAT on a "Failure to determine" during the caretaker period before last year's council elections.
This means the developer chose to take the council to VCAT, for not making a decision on his application, during a period the City Of Yarra was not legally permitted to make a decision on his application.
There is just one example of complete misrepresentation of the facts in recent press reports.