To tackle housing crisis, planners threaten future of Aussie suburb no one knew existed

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2 days ago

Just 6km west of Melbourne is a beautiful suburb few people actually know exists.
When I moved to Seddon, I developed impostor syndrome. White picket fences and well-tended rose gardens stand in front of single-storey Victorian workers' cottages and Edwardian terrace houses. There's little traffic in this Melbourne suburb, so kids can play footy on the streets, and at local parks, pubs and cafes, you'll always bump into someone you know.
The first sign that Seddon was set to be dramatically changed was a one-page pamphlet dropped in letterboxes by Victoria's planning authority. What alarmed residents like me is that the map it contained didn't even mention Seddon by name. With the stroke of a Sharpie, bureaucrats had drawn a line around the suburb, incorporating it into a high-rise development plan for neighbouring suburbs, sparking concerns that planners in Melbourne didn't even know we existed.
Residents expectedly turned to their local Facebook group to debate the proposal. 'This is infuriating,' one person wrote. 'I don't want any high rises destroying the beautiful community feel we have created,' another said. But others seemingly backed the plan with one saying, 'Living inner city means inevitable change'.
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Seddon has provisionally been zoned into an Activity Centre, as part of a program designed by the Victorian government to 'shake up' planning laws within 1km of designated train stations. Because Seddon is less than 1km in size, nearly all of the suburb fits into the Middle Footscray station zone, meaning some of it could be zoned at a whopping 12 storeys, while the fringes will likely be zoned for three storeys.
Creating more housing close to public transport where people want to live has merit. Of course, not everyone agrees — protests broke out after residents in affluent Brighton learned they were getting an Activity Centre — and 60 suburbs have now been slated for the program.
Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny indicated she wants feedback from the community. But it's been a challenge to get specific information about how residents can appeal the plans, or if each suburb's character will be protected.
When I contacted her department it refused to be interviewed, so I sent 10 questions about what the Activity Centre plan would specifically mean for Seddon. Two weeks and 15 emails later, it responded with a two-line statement that didn't mention Seddon by name.
'We've kicked off consultation this month on the next 25 train and tram zones — including for West Footscray, Tottenham and Middle Footscray stations,' it read. "We want to work with communities to ensure more Victorians have the opportunity to live close to public transport, their loved ones, and the things that matter to them.'
Seddon was named in honour of New Zealand's premier Richard Seddon after his death in 1906, but it didn't become a suburb until 1999, and it still doesn't have its own postcode.
It's a place that not many people know about, but it's always been very important to those who live here.Pamela Mulready
This isn't the first time development has threatened to destroy the suburb. In the 1970s, there were plans to turn quiet Pilgrim Street into a busy freeway-like road. Local historian Pamela Mulready explained this would have resulted in the loss of hundreds of homes, and intersected the town.
'That had a terrible effect on the area, because it all became depressed. There was no future, so a lot of people moved out. Businesses wound up, and people sold their houses at reduced prices,' she said.
The town has long been an ALP stronghold, and party-affiliated councillors successfully fought against the road plan. And the drop in house prices did have one positive — it opened up opportunities for migrants and today there's an abundance of languages spoken here, including Vietnamese, Italian, Chinese and Macedonian.
Late in May, the planning department hosted an online meeting so community members could ask questions of their experts. But questions were grouped together by a moderator and many residents complained about a lack of specificity in answers. 'What we expected: a whole heap of clever avoidance, vagueness and no obvious signs of future accountability,' one person wrote. 'A lot of carefully planned and rehearsed answers telling you nothing,' another said. 'I asked directly about building heights, twice, on Victoria Street and they literally did not answer,' someone else added.
It's not that I'm a NIMBY, a Not In My Backyard resident who advocates for change elsewhere but not where I live. Planning should be bold. But I fear change without detail.
Melbourne's west already faces problems with pollution, overpopulated schools, a lack of parking and few green spaces. Seddon is relatively safe, although my copper pipes were stolen the week before we moved in and across the road, a house was burgled this week. There is a perception Melbourne as a city is struggling to combat crime, with machete attacks in shopping centres and aggravated burglaries making the news this month. Many residents are concerned about increasing density while the streets are unsafe.
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When I attended a follow-up community meeting at the West Footscray library, planning staff were writing down notes on Post-it notes, and adding them to a map. There were pictures on the wall of how they imagine the suburb could one day look — no Victorian cottages or rose gardens to be seen, only tightly-built modern townhouses.
One staff member admitted they hadn't expected the uproar, admitting Seddon was only included in the map because of its proximity to Middle Footscray station, not because the suburb itself was somehow well-suited for an Activity Centre. Another said they'd heard the response from residents 'loud and clear'.
Whether Seddon will even be included in the final Activity Centre plan for West Footscray, Tottenham and Middle Footscray stations is unclear. New housing around Melbourne's west is essential, but amenities are needed first. One project approved under the previous Liberal government was dubbed the worst development in Melbourne and planning laws remain problematic. Residents in the west want the character of their suburbs respected, and developers prevented from taking shortcuts.
The vague suggestion that Seddon could be incorporated into plans for three larger suburbs has caused a panic. The government claims the changes will be gradual, but the planning department has revealed its being pressured to hurry through the process and work through any feedback from residents by the end of 2026.
There is no doubt much-needed housing will be created, developers will get rich, some residents will make a fortune selling their rezoned land, and businesses will gain new customers. But whether the Activity Centre ultimately helps or hinders the community of Seddon will be revealed when details are eventually made available to its residents.
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