My adjournment is to the Minister for Planning.
I ask the Minister to explain how community feedback on the draft planning maps for the Thornbury train and tram zone will inform the final maps, to better reflect the nuance and context of the local area.
Thornbury is one of Melbourne’s most distinctive inner-north communities – where trains, trams, cafés and creativity meet.
It’s a place people love, and a place people want to live. With that growth comes the need for more homes of all kinds – private, affordable, social.
This is something locals know and understand – and I’ve heard from a great many who tell me they want to see more housing options particularly for younger people and families wanting to settle down.
Importantly, residents want these homes delivered gradually and through sensitive planning that augments what makes Thornbury a special place to live.
It’s been encouraging to hear from locals who are thinking deeply about how we can plan for housing and growth in a way that supports affordability, sustainability and liveability.
Right now, through the consultation that’s currently open, people are talking about the opportunity to deliver real benefits to our neighbourhood – including more investment in our transport network and open spaces.
They’re speaking about the opportunity to support High Street as a vibrant business precinct – and to encourage more commercial trade on St George’s Road too.
The opportunity, of course, to give more people a secure home.
But it’s safe to say that residents are also concerned that the current drafts are not sensitive enough to our current pressure points and future needs.
They want to see more street-by-street analysis that recognises the differences in our micro-neighbourhoods.
As a lifetime local to the inner north myself, these nuances are obvious to me. But they may not be to planners – and that’s where community voice is so critical to getting this right.
Speaker, that is the intent of this phase of consultation. The maps have been released in draft to ensure local knowledge can refine boundaries, heights and safeguards before anything is made final next year.
Residents have already raised thoughtful feedback about height transitions, catchment boundaries, heritage, public spaces, housing variety and design quality.
They’ve provided insight on important sites, how we use the area and what we want to see into the future.
And I say future because sometimes that is lost in the conversation.
This is not a development plan but rather a planning amendment. That means it gives parameters around future planning applications – rather than proposing development.
The intent of course it to enable gradual growth over decades, close to transport and services so as to avoid urban sprawl, which has serious environmental, agricultural and social costs.
We know this, Speaker, and we know Thornbury can welcome more homes.
It’s why as the Member for Northcote, I’ve been working to draw tangible investment into our suburbs and grow our services for the future.
That means major upgrades and Preston South Primary, Thornbury Primary, Thornbury High and Penders Park. It means works at Merri Kinder, Raleigh Street Kinder, Thornbury Kinder – and a new Darebin Creek Kinder.
It means planning for accessible tram stops on High Street and expanding the Austin Emergency Department. A new Distress Support Service and plans for a new Early Parenting Centre.
Thornbury is a sought-after destination – and for better or worse, there’s been a lot of ad-hoc development already. So we know there’s benefits to having a cohesive plan for growth.
What we ask for now is that community insights shape refinements: to ensure the final planning controls genuinely balance our housing need with our local identity.
I look forward to hearing from the Minister.
