SAVE WILLIAMSTOWN
SAVE WILLIAMSTOWN
What can the community do and where can we obtain further information?
Summary
1. Regarding Rezoning the community has NO SAY - it is determined by the Minister as Residential - politically we can vote at the elections on 29th November 2014 for the advice of the PPWM Advisory Committee to be reinstated (see Election Info) but that is all the community can do. This will stop anything higher than 25m being built.
2. What height of buildings and what form should be allowed on the site was determined by the Minister’s Development and Development Overlay on the advice of an advisory committee. Matthew Guy chose to ignore a lot of the advice but at the 2014 elections if elected a new Labor government has promised to return to the advice.
3. After the Zone and DDO is determined the developer is required to apply to Hobsons Bay City Council for the actual building designs on the site. However the developer has objected against all Council decisions to date and taken the applications to VCAT often without supplying the relevant documents to HBC on time.
Documents which you may like to refer to:
Minister’s decision on rezoning and his advisory committee
On the request of Nelson Place Village, the then Planning Minister, Justin Madden has used his delegated authority to rezone the land at the Former Port Phillip Woollen Mill Site RESIDENTIAL. Effectively the community has NO SAY in the rezoning despite the fact that the community and Hobsons Bay City Council were agreed that “Mixed Zone” would be a more appropriate zoning. Also the rezoning is contrary to the provisions in the Planning and Environment Act 1987 where the Williamstown Shipyards are to be protected and the minister has rezoned part of the site which is defined and mapped in the Williamstown Shipyards. Matthew Guy did rezone the land MIXED USE but the developer has only applied for residential applications to date apart for two small retail spaces where the Oriental is and conversion of the Britannia Hotel into a Marketing Suite.
Downloads
•Minister’s Press Release 26th March 2010
http://www.premier.vic.gov.au/component/content/article/9897.html
•Draft Terms of Reference
Draft Terms of Ref.pdf
•Planning Environment Act 1987 as amended to 2007
http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/vic/consol_act/paea1987254/
The minister had an advisory committee report and ignoring a lot of recommendaitons he prepared Planning Scheme Amendment C86 and DDO11 for the Former Port Phillip Woollen Mill Site and this will form the limits to which the developer can make their planning application. It is supposed to include matters to do with height, heritage and nearby industry but to date VCAT has largely ignored those constraints.
The Terms of Reference of the Advisory Committee were very restricted with only Hobsons Bay City Council being asked to comment. No one else neither community nor stakeholders were consulted about the draft terms. The precluding any discussion of the zone made a farce of the hearings when a major hazard facility including fuel importation by ship was so close to the development.
Hobsons Bay City Council Documents
Download
•Comments by Hobsons Bay City Council on the minister’s Terms of Reference for his advisory committee
http://www.hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au/Files/Amendment_C75_Former_Port_Phillip_Woollen_Mill_Advisory_Committee_Terms_of_Reference.pdf C75+Exrep.pdf 001hbayC75+zn Map19.pdf 002hbayC75+eaoMap19.pdf
•All the planning scheme application documents by the developer to council
http://www.hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au/Planning_Building/Planning_applications_Greenlight
•Council Factsheets
http://www.hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au/Planning_and_building/Planning_services/Planning_fact_sheets
•C33 Industrial Land Management Strategy referred to by Council
- Precinct 20
Industrial_Land_Management_Strategy240608.pdf
•Hobsons Bay Council Minutes 1 December 2009
http://www.hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au/Page/page.asp?Page_Id=3975&h=0
•Hobsons Bay Council Public Question Time 16 November 2010
Public Question Time Save Williamstown request to HBCC for Proper Risk Assessment of Pt Gellibrand.pdf
Three community groups were invited to make submissions to the Advisory Committee:
•WNSRA - Williamstown, Newport Spotswood Residents Assocation
•POW - Preserve Old Williamstown
•and
•SAVE WILLIAMSTOWN
Save Williamstown proposes to collect individual submissions and attach them so we will be providing details of how to send your submissions to us and the time frame when it is known. If you wish to contact us before please write to:
The consultation which Save Williamstown had with the community suggested Alternative Land Uses - we will continue to try to get the minister to change his mind because we believe that MIXED USE is appropriate and sustainable and the minister has made a mistake in rezoning based on the developer’s application. It would be excellent if the advisory committee could be persuaded to change the minister’s mind.
•webpage Alternative Land-Use
The NEW rules for VCAT to fast track large development applications worth more than $5 Million can be downloaded here
•Fast Tracking large development planning applications - new rules
Save Williamstown presented a petition to Parliament and Council in July 2009
You can download this petition which was signed by over 3000 people
•Petition presented to Wade Noonan for tabling at the Victorian State Parliament - Nelson Village Petition.jpg
Save Williamstown leaflet Download info here as distributed to the whole community
List of Councillors Names and Addresses - to be updated
Local State and Federal Politicians - to be updated
Also see the State Government website
Press Releases by Dept of Premier Victoria. All department press releases are on this site Peremier of Victoria Media Releases
Downloads for contacting politicians:
Save Williamstown publicity:
Car Bumper Stickers & SAVE WILLIAMSTOWN posters - available now - please contact:
DEVELOPERS MUST RESPECT THE CHARACTER OF OUR HISTORIC CITY
WE MUST HAVE COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT IN PLANNING....
The cultural and historical significance of Williamstown should not be underestimated, it starts long before the settlement of 1835 with the people of the Kulin Nations inhabiting the Point Gellibrand Peninsula for many centuries. The new arrivals of 1835 came from Tasmania by sea and chose the sheltered natural harbour to land and build their town, King William’s Town, later becoming Williamstown. Many early public buildings and homes still grace the town and the maritime and shipbuilding industries still remain after nearly two centuries.