The Victorian government is poised to override locals and fast-track a massive development containing aboriginal social housing and services that has been stalled for years due to community concerns.
The $140m project in the Melbourne suburb of Pakenham has been before Cardinia Council since 2021, but “First Nations” Minister Natalie Hutchins has now requested special approval from the Minister of Planning under Labor’s controversial Development Facilitation Program.
The fast-track push came after the indigenous group that will run the proposed 20 social housing units complained that councillors had “blocked” them from advocating for the development to be approved, the Herald Sun reported.
But the local community was concerned about the development and its possible impact on existing retail sites, a source told the publication, describing some opponents as NIMBYs. A previous larger proposal for the same Princes Highway site was earlier rejected by council.
Coree Thorpe from aboriginal community services provider Dardi Munwurrow said the group was frustrated at not being able to brief councillors on the supposed merits of the development, which will also include a hotel, retail outlets, and indigenous social services.
“Our programs work with some of the most vulnerable members of our community and having a full service hub from meeting places to accommodation is what will drive empowerment for our people,” he said.
In her letter to planning minister Sonya Kilkenny, Ms Hutchins wrote: “This project has the potential to be groundbreaking, aligning with our government’s vision for self-determination, housing equity, and community-led development.
“Its success could be a landmark example, creating a replicable model for future partnerships between the private sector and government.”
Cardinia Council confirmed that the state government was considering intervening in the development, and said there had been a “thorough and careful review of the documentation and plans, given the scale and nature of the proposal”.
The Victorian government’s Development Facilitation Program is intended to “speed up” approvals to help provide housing, but has resulted in unpopular projects all over Melbourne being given the green light by ministerial decree regardless of local council objections.
Labor’s $5.3 billion Big Housing Build reserves 10% of social homes for aboriginals, and in May the state government announced it was investing $153 million towards building hundreds of indigenous social housing units.
Header image: The proposed development (Particular Architects).
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