The suburban towers being green-lit without community approval
A 17-storey community housing tower is set to transform Greensborough's skyline after the state government controversially pushed through the development and overrode council objections about the building's height and absence of family-friendly apartments.
The Allan government has frequently wielded its strengthened powers to bypass local councils and fast-track developments, directly approving 11 major residential projects this year alone as it seeks to speed up new approvals and meet ambitious housing targets.
This and other planning reforms centralising power have drawn the ire of councils, who argue community needs are not being adequately addressed.
The Greensborough apartment project was green-lit through the government's Development Facilitation Program (DFP), which allows Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny to bypass councils if a project makes a significant contribution to the economy or includes affordable housing, under changes made in September 2023.
The minister can also waive mandatory planning requirements related to building height, setbacks and garden areas. Decisions made by the minister under the provisions cannot be appealed to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT).
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Kilkenny last month approved the tower, in Melbourne's north-east, which permits construction of more than 200 one- and two-bedroom apartments.
The homes, to be built above a Savers shop on Para Road, will be operated and managed by a community housing provider offering rental homes to people on low to moderate incomes.
'This project will ensure hundreds of Victorians will be able to live close to the things that matter to them – living in walking distance to the train station, buses, parks, schools, shops and services,' Kilkenny said.
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