Knox City Council has revealed an updated plan for Boronia that aims to bring new life to the suburb while preserving and protecting the residential and community areas that surround the town centre.
Knox Mayor, Lisa Cooper said the updated Boronia Renewal Strategy was a blueprint for attracting thoughtful investment and development to the area, allowing for future growth while protecting what matters most to local residents.
“We’ve long heard that Boronia is old, tired and in need of significant investment to give it new life and improve liveability for those who call it home,” said Mayor Cooper.
“We can’t do this without attracting development and ensuring the offering is appealing to people who want to invest in the area.
“The Boronia Renewal Strategy is our best opportunity to shape how development happens so it works for Boronia today and delivers what residents and businesses will need 50 years from now.”
She said the plan builds on previous community consultation and balances these priorities with state government policies to accommodate the future needs of Boronia.
“The Strategy provides the framework to accommodate growth in the town centre over the next 20 years, where there is good access to public transport, shops and services,” Mayor Cooper said.
“This gives us the opportunity to limit over-development on the edge where it would impact surrounding residential areas while still meeting our obligations under state government policy to plan for future growth.”
As part of the plan, building heights on the key intersection of Dorset Rd and Boronia Rd will be limited to a maximum of 10 storeys. These controls are proposed to be ‘maximum mandatory’ heights, which means they cannot be varied to allow for greater height, even by VCAT. Height limits then taper down towards the edges of the town centre, with areas bordering neighbourhood residential zones limited to three storeys. This will give the community greater certainty than existing planning controls currently offer, the Mayor said.
The strategy also identified key sites that have potential for commercial, residential or mixed development due to their size and location.
A request will now be lodged with the Minister for Planning to commence the planning scheme amendment process and consult with the community on both the updated Boronia Renewal Strategy and associated planning controls.
The community will have an opportunity to review the plans and provide their feedback on the planning scheme amendment. This is likely to occur in early 2022, subject to the Minister’s authorisation to commence the process.
