State Planning Logic 101

by Cate Hall


1. A growth area is only a growth area if it is an Outer Growth Area

At a High School for Coburg sausage sizzle at Coburg Mall in early March, we were approached by an employee of the transport planning department who told us that Coburg is a drop in the ocean compared to the outer growth areas which are competing for infrastructure spending and that we didn't stand a chance. Even though Coburg is growing - with Pentridge and the pending Coburg Initiative and former Kodak site redevelopment and increased birthrates and influx of families, it does not to qualify as a growth area. This is ridiculous.

Justin Madden's new outer Growth Area planning guidelines say that if the population is 30,000, provision for a high school is needed. Coburg plus Coburg North hit that population mark years ago and we require secondary education provision to ensure equity of access.The Coburg Initiative alone should qualify Coburg as having needs comparable to an Outer Growth Area.

With the cessation of government plans to grow Melbourne outside it's current boundary due to the collapse of the proposed growth area tax, growing areas like Coburg may now have a chance of getting the infrastructure provision required.

2. If they are leaving because it is not there, you don't need to provide it

Justin Madden in a letter last year to MP Robin Scott acknowledged that there is a pattern of families leaving the Coburg and West Preston areas when their children reach secondary school age but with breathtaking logic goes on to say that is why a secondary school is not required.

Of course the community knows that many families make the difficult decision to leave Coburg and West Preston as their children approach high school age because there is no state high school.

Local real estate agents have gone on record in the Moreland Leader confirming this, as did HSC's Moreland Council assisted survey showing over 50 % leaving because no high school but 96% saying they would support local school if it existed.

3. It is not necessary to do community consultation across the road from a major development if that is the next municipality

The DPCD appear not to have felt the need to extend community consultation process for the redevelopment of the former Kodak site across the street into Darebin.

3 .1. Amendment : It is not necessary to inform residents across the road from a developement - even in same municipality. 

HSC submission regarding the Kodak Development Plan

Below is the submission from HSC regarding the Kodak Development Plan (available for download as a word doc here). The Kodak site in Elizabeth Street, North Coburg is a significant infill housing development. You can read more about the Kodak development here.

State Planning Services
Department of Planning and Community Development
GPO Box 500
EAST MELBOURNE VIC 3002

Monday 22 February 2010

To Whom It May Concern:

This is a submission by the group High School for Coburg (HSC) re the Kodak Development Plan in particular reference to infrastructure provision and need.

Early Years  

The report states that demand for early years facilities will decrease to 2020 however the company responsible for Moreland council population data, Id, say there is nothing to support this assumption. In their projections the 0-4 age group increases in North Coburg over that time. Therefore taking into account Kodak population as well, which isn’t factored in by id until 2019 it is impossible to come to the conclusion that the demand for early years facilties will decrease to 2020.

Id projections which the report was apparently based on shows an increase of only 6 couple families with children in Coburg North from 2006 to 2021. This is a clear underestimate when you consider just the Newlands part of Coburg North which is the relevant portion for Kodak to be considering. Id tell me this figure was reached by an offset of families where adult children are leaving. That may be the case for whole of North Coburg but the Newlands portion is experiencing huge influx of families with children as first home buyers

The report incorrectly states that there is occasional childcare at Newlands Community centre,  in fact this hasn’t been available for several years.

We ask that early years infrastructure provision and demand is looked at with more specificity and accuracy for the Newlands area.

Secondary Education Facilities 

We note that there is no mention of secondary education facilities for this area.

This was also the case with the Coburg Initiative early on, until community consultation identified the need for a high school to be the biggest equal issue for the Coburg community. (CI Speak Out in the Mall 2009 ) resulting in it's inclusion in the previous two CI newsletters.

There are 22 primary schools and yet not one open entry state secondary school servicing the Coburg and West Preston area.

Justin Madden MP acknowledges a trend for families to leave the area when their children reach high school age, he uses this trend as justification for no high school. HSC say families leave because there is no school and would stay and help build this community if there was a local high school. We have two directors of local real estate agents who back this up – they say people are leaving and also not moving in because there is no secondary school.

HSC’s survey report representing 556 local children also backs this argument. Over 50% said they were considering leaving due to no high school, where as 96% would use it if one existed.

The new Precinct Structure Planning Guidelines for growth area developments (launched by Justin Madden MP) state that at a population of 30,000 planning for secondary school should be included. HSC argue that Coburg is a growth area and the population of Coburg plus Coburg North had exceeded 30,000 back in 2006. Yet still no secondary school planned.

The guidelines also call for the following design response –“How are children encouraged to walk or cycle to school ?”

In Coburg North and in fact Coburg and West Preston, walking or cycling to school is not an option as there is no state secondary school for this community. This appears to be at odds with State, Federal and council aims to reduce green house gas emission and doesn’t allow for the health benefits and greater connectedness to community that come from active transport to school.

Minister Bronwyn Pike, in a letter to Kelvin Thompson MP  re HSC, said that "a provision plan is developed for each community."

Minister Pike said  "data considered for the plan includes population data, current and future demand and local community education needs.

Redevelopment of the Kodak and Pentridge sites and the likely number of families and children who will live in these areas will be considered as part of the overall facilities planning for both primary and secondary schools in Coburg."

DPCD and ID projections show the Coburg SLA has the greatest number of children and the highest expected growth in Moreland - add to this the very large number of children in West Preston and there is clearly great level of need for a secondary school and many families being denied equity of access to secondary education.

HSC asks that the report considers the Darebin side of Elizabeth Street when considering provision and demand as there is a Natural Neighbourhood which spans the Darebin and Moreland border and indeed the border of Pascoe Vale and Preston state electorates.

The Kodak development is occurring within this secondary education black hole which represents a major gap in provision and can only add to the need.

HSC asks that the community infrastructure report reflects this.

Yours sincerely,

Catherine Hall

The numbers stack up so where is the planning for a High School for Coburg?

by Darren Saffin
The suburbs of Coburg and Coburg North meet the new Precinct Structure Plan guidelines for outer suburban developments announced by The Hon Minister for Planning Justin Madden MP.*

The suburbs have a combined population of over 30,800 (2006 ABS Census) not to mention the other suburbs in any new state secondary school catchment zone. The obvious difference is Coburg is not an outer suburban development, but Coburg has the greatest population growth in children of all suburbs in Moreland (iD Forecast population projections) and has the Coburg Initiative, Pentridge Prison development and old Kodak factory site development. All of which mean the continued growth of secondary school age children and a very real lack of local community options for secondary school education – an education blackhole.

Public consultation has begun for the development of the former Maribyrnong Defence Site, which Justin Madden has already said will contain schools. Meanwhile in Alphington, the Government is set to negotiate with developers to buy land to build a local government secondary school. These are both commendable actions. Where is the same consideration for Coburg and surrounds which have a great need already and more growth forecast? It is hard not to be cynical with a state election coming up and seeing the safest Labour seat in Melbourne being neglected while vote buying happens around it.

*The new Precinct Structure Plan guidelines for outer suburban developments state that for populations up to 30,000 the plan should provide space for a government secondary school. See Growth Areas Authority - Part Two - Page 31 - Key Principles for Designing Integrated Community Facilities.

May update and upcoming sausage sizzle

by David Nunns

Just a short note to advise of a couple of big news items from High School for Coburg (HSC) as the campaign continues to establish an open entry year 7 to 12 public secondary school in the Coburg area :

• Moreland City Council backs HSC ... last week the Moreland City Council (MCC) endorsed a resolution supporting the establishment of a secondary college in Coburg

  -Cr Erdogan moved, Cr Yildiz seconded that Council
  
  1. Write to the Premier of Victoria, The Honourable John Brumby MP and the Minister for Education, The Honourable Bronwyn Pike MP calling for an open entry secondary college to be established in Coburg.
  
  2. Commit to working with the Coburg High School Group and the general residents of Coburg to advocate for the establishment of a 7-12 open entry secondary college in Coburg and that Council facilitate the advocacy. (Minutes of the MCC meeting of 13/05/09 can be viewed here)

  It is simply magnificent to have the support of our local council and a special thanks must go to Councillor Enver Erdogan for being the sponsor of the resolution and to the other councillors who backed HSC on the night.

• COBURG 2020 ... at the Coburg 2020 initiative info stalls that were held last Saturday in the Victoria St. Mall the absence of an open entry public secondary school in Coburg was the biggest concern identified by locals and out-ranked other issues two-to-one. Yes .. thats right ... this single issue out-ranked both the controversial Pentridge Piazza and Coburg High School apartment block developments !!! This sends another clear message to the Moreland City Council and to local politicians that this issue needs to be dealt with as residents call for change.

We see these two recent events as being a positive sign for our campaign and a big THANK-YOU to all of the HSC supporters that visited the stalls and put across their views in an eloquent and passionate manner.

HSC Sausage Sizzle & Stall ... on Saturday the 23rd of May 2009 (this Saturday) the High School for Coburg people will be holding a sausage sizzle and information stall in the Victoria Street Mall in Coburg (next to the pedestrian crossing) from 10:00 AM TO 2:00 PM. So come along and help us raise some much needed funds for HSC so we can expand our activities and move the campaign to another level. Sausages $2.50 Soft Drinks $2.50 Paua Shell Fridge Magnets $2.50 Thanks for you on-going support and we look forward to catching up this Saturday at the sausage sizzle in the Victoria Street Mall in downtown Coburg.