Neighbourhood Character
In 2004 a Council committee, in which CCS was involved, commissioned a consultant to describe the Neighbourhood Character Study of Maroondah. Fast forward to 2019 and we now have a review of this document to give it more credentials at VCAT. Instead of “aspires to and would be good to” language, it will, in future, be more specific, in particular with regard to permeable land, which helps support tree retention and health.
Since 2011, a whopping 117 hectares of previously “garden Maroondah” has gone under developments and impervious paving like concrete driveways!
Why is development needing to be structured?
The new requirements will specify how many canopy trees are to replaced on a development site and percentages of land left open to absorb rainfall will be clearly spelled out. The new revision also looks to use a new overlay the Environmentally Sensitive Overlay to protect our 3 ridges running across our municipality, the main Wicklow rdge, the Rusking secondary ridge and the Loughnans ridge in Ringwood.
It is vital to the planning process to look seriously at how to absorb 20 thousand new residents in the future. Previously, in spite of having something of a “blueprint” as to how best to achieve this, too often MCC has been overruled at VCAT putting at great risk our much valued tree cover, and make a homogenous blend of units, houses, flats etc in every street, so that all areas potentially lose character.<