VPA update: 19 May 2017

Dear colleague,

It has been a busy few weeks at the VPA and I have been enjoying my time as Acting CEO before Stuart Moseley starts as the new VPA CEO on 19 June.

Mr Moseley is currently the Deputy Director General (Planning Group) for the Queensland Department of Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning, where he was responsible for delivering flagship reforms. This included the introduction of new planning legislation and a new regional plan for South East Queensland, concentrating on new land supply metrics and a new focus on affordable living and design quality.

His previous employment includes stints as the CEO of the Adelaide City Council and General Manager of Information and Strategy at the South Australian Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure. He is a Registered Planner and a Fellow of the Planning Institute of Australia and has previously served as National Vice President of the Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA).

A copy of the Minister’s press release about Mr Moseley’s appointment is available here.

In the meantime, we continue to make progress delivering on the government plans for housing and jobs growth in Victoria.

Major developments include:

New plan to grow Berwick’s health and education precinct

A bold new plan will cement Berwick’s reputation as a cutting-edge health and education precinct and drive infrastructure, jobs and education and health services for Melbourne’s growing south-east corridor.

The Victorian Planning Authority (VPA) and Casey City Council have released the Berwick Health and Education Precinct Comprehensive Development Plan for public comment.

The plan concerns 122 hectares of land located either side of Clyde Road, north of Princes Freeway and south of Berwick village. The plan outlines a vision for a precinct that will eventually have:

• up to 11,000 jobs
• 13,000 students
• 700 hospital beds
• 1100 new apartments.

This will be achieved by:

• encouraging development of allied health and educational services
• locating mixed-use development in the heart of the precinct
• improving access to Berwick Station
• encouraging office development along Princes Freeway
• creating a new intersection on Clyde Road
• building extensive cycle paths
• creating an open space corridor.

Alongside the comprehensive development plan, the VPA and council are proposing to rezone land on Margaret and Evan streets and some of the land on Jane and Mansfield streets to allow for high-quality housing.

Planning for Broadmeadows’ future

The Victorian Planning Authority (VPA) and Hume City Council have released the Draft Greater Broadmeadows Framework Plan, a blueprint for the suburb’s urban renewal.

The plan was created after two years of extensive scoping and consultation with stakeholders and members of the public. It identifies major transport and infrastructure projects designed to spur Greater Broadmeadows’ growth.

This includes transforming the town centre by making it more pedestrian friendly, improving cycle connections, creating more diverse housing and redeveloping the Loop Road block.

The aim is for the Broadmeadows town centre to become a more vibrant, activated space that is a great place to live, work and gather. Another significant proposal of the plan consists of transforming the Meadowlink strategic priority area into a thriving, 20-minute neighbourhood. Click here to watch a video explaining our vision for Broadmeadows.

Furthermore, Minister for Suburban Development Lily D’Ambrosio and Member for Broadmeadows Frank McGuire today announced the establishment of the Broadmeadows Revitalisation Board. The Board will be responsible for providing advice to government on opportunities and projects that will capitalise on Broadmeadows strengths and attract investment. Click here to read more.

A milestone in Arden’s development

Emily Mottram and I were delighted to join the Premier and Minister Allan last Wednesday to commemorate an old refuelling station being demolished to make way for Arden Station.

The Laurens Street shed was one of dozens of buildings being pulled down for construction of the Metro Tunnel and five new underground stations.

As has been widely publicised, the new Arden Station is a major component of the area’s transformation into a bustling, mixed-use destination. It is envisioned that this area will one day come to represent an extension of Melbourne’s central city, being a base for 34,000 jobs and 15,000 residents.

The VPA released the Draft Arden Vision & Framework in September last year, and we are now completing the final vision & framework, which we will release in coming months.

Click here to read more about the event.

Tim Peggie moving on 

Regional Lead Director Tim Peggie has announced that he will be leaving the VPA to take on a new role as a director with the newly formed merger between JBA/ Planisphere/BuckleyVann. This is an important opportunity for Tim to join a growing business in a very senior role and we wish him well in the next phase of his career.

Tim has been a valued member of the VPA for eight years and a director for five years. During this time Tim has driven the preparation of precinct structure plans across all growth areas and, in his most recent position, led the establishment of the VPA program in regional towns and cities.

Tim will take two weeks leave from next week, then return to work and finish up on Friday 16 June. The VPA thanks Tim for his dedication, hard work and good humour and we congratulate him on this great new opportunity.

We will be advertising for Tim’s replacement next week, so please check the VPA website then for details.

Finally

Please call our office or me if you have any questions or suggestions on these or any other items, or reply accordingly if you no longer wish to receive these emails.

*The featured image is a photo of Greater Broadmeadows.