President

The President Spring is the time of plans and projects

(Leo Tolstoy)

Mark Sheppard, Principal, kinetica

Welcome to the spring edition of Revue.

It’s been a busy few months at VPELA, highlighted by our first inperson conference for three years. Just like spring blossoms after winter, you were obviously raring to open up after the ravages of COVID because we had our biggest ever turnout, with over 300 delegates. Or perhaps it was because of the fantastic line-up of speakers, headlined by Catherine Freeman and including Tony Wood, Kerstin Thompson in conversation with Stuart Harrison, Sophie Renton, Dr Adrian Medhurst and Julian Lyngcoln.

Big thanks to our sponsors – particularly our ongoing Platinum Sponsor DELWP – and our amazing admin team and organising committee led by Anna Borthwick and Michael Deidun.

VPELA’s Paul Jerome Award, presented at the conference, recognises outstanding contribution to public service. I congratulate this year’s recipient, Chris Chesterfield, whose patient and persistent work over many decades to improve the way we manage stormwater has transformed our urban environments for the better. Wind

From the risks of rain to the potential of wind, a topic which has featured prominently in our winter webinar season.

We learnt that Australia has the potential to be a global offshore wind superpower, but there are major constraints to be tackled before we can get there – not least, the lack of supporting infrastructure and industry. Offshore wind farms are also supported by the Bald Hills Wind Farm VCAT decision, discussed at our Red Dot Decisions event, which highlights concerns about wind farms’ impacts on nearby residents. This is a critical topic that needs thorough investigation to ensure we can capitalise on the enormous potential of carbon-free energy.

Our panoply of webinar topics also included the opportunities and challenges of developing former quarries, and an update of all things PPV and VCAT, illustrating the diverse interests of our multi-disciplinary membership. If you missed any of our recent events (including the conference), the presentations are available on our website, along with recordings (for members only).

Water

Speaking of stormwater, planning for flooding has become more pressing following catastrophic events in Victoria, NSW and Queensland this year, which raise the question of how to deal with existing and planned development in floodprone land. Two current planning scheme amendments promise to draw a ‘line in the sand’ (pun intended!) in relation to planning for sea level rise and increasing rainfall intensity.

Moyne Amendment C69 explores the question of what extent of sea level rise to plan for in Port Fairy. Melbourne Amendment C384 proposes to increase the area of land affected by the SBO and LSIO to reflect increasing rainfall intensity. It also proposes to introduce as a reference document a ‘Good Design Guide’ for buildings in floodprone parts of key renewal areas, which seeks to ensure that flood responsive design still supports equitable and inviting urban environments. This highlights the need for integrated decisions in established urban areas that balance the need to minimise flood risks with urban design outcomes. We are planning a seminar in the New Year to explore this topic further.

The decisions ultimately made in relation to these Amendments promise to be significant inflection points in Victorian planning for climate change.

This edition’s Think Again article takes up the issue of what scale flood mitigation should be planned at. It poses the question ‘How should land subject to inundation perform in relation to its buildings?’ rather than ‘How should a building perform in land subject to inundation?’. New governance

The Victorian Government has appointed a new Minister for Planning: Lizzie Blandthorn. Congratulations to Lizzie on her appointment to such an important role.

Speaking of Ministers, I’m looking forward to introducing you to the Shadow Minister for Planning, Ryan Smith, at a forthcoming webinar. If you haven’t met Ryan before, log in to get to know him and his vision for planning in Victoria.

By the time you read this, it’s likely that the VPELA board election will be complete. Thank you to everyone who nominated and congratulations to the new board members: Lucy Eastoe, Arnold Bloch Leibler Damian Iles, Hansen Partnership Grant Logan, DELWP Emily Porter S.C., Victorian Bar.

Thanks also to all of you who responded to our survey last month, which has provided a wealth of information to help us serve you better.

I look forward to seeing you all at our Christmas party on 13 December!

Mark Sheppard is President of VPELA and a Principal at kinetica