Minister looks at hills scheme

THE fate of future generations of Foothills residents lies in the hands of Planning Minister Rob Hulls.
Knox City Council last week adopted a planning scheme amendment to protect the Foothills from inappropriate and excessive development and sent it to Mr Hulls for approval.
The council resolution follows consideration of an interim report by an independent panel appointed by Mr Hulls.
The panel agreed the area should not be subject to intense development and backed a proposal to establish distinct regions within the Foothills to reflect different landscape features.
Dobson Ward councillor Karin Orpen said the amendment would make it less likely that council decisions would be overturned on the whim of the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
“This process has taken five years of action by council and the community but the most important thing is that the Dandenong Ranges Foothills will be protected for the long term,” she said.
Planning scheme amendment C40 places specific planning controls on fence heights, site coverage, canopy trees, building heights and open space.
Cr Orpen said it was now up to local MPs to lobby Mr Hulls on behalf of residents who have been widely consulted and have made their position clear.
Monbulk MP James Merlino, who joined Ferntree Gully MP Anne Eckstein and Upper House MP Helen Buckingham at a meeting with the council on Friday, 15 September, commended the council on its hard work.
“A significant part of the Dandenong Ranges is within the City of Knox and those areas should be protected in a similar manner to the part within the Shire of Yarra Ranges,” he said.
“I’m very supportive of the direction Knox Council has taken. I have advocated with the planning minister and will continue to do so.”
Cr Orpen said she was delighted with the support the community had given her to carry on the fight for the future of the Foothills.
“They are environmentally significant and our community, as custodians of them, want them saved for future generations,” she said.