This council wants more homes built in their area but fears ‘fast-track’ plans will slash supply

A housing stoush with a difference is unfolding in Melbourne’s south-east where a developer is at loggerheads with the local council who are demanding more homes be built on the valuable site.

Extensive talks with the community and planning authorities had produced draft plans for 3000 apartments and townhouses to be built at a site dubbed the East Village, in Bentleigh East.

But the local mayor claims the developer is now trying to fast-track the major housing project, while cutting the number of homes planned, and she is demanding the state government intervene.

Glen Eira mayor Simone Zmood said property developer SEMZ has applied to have the project dealt with as part of the state government’s Development Facilitation Program (DFP) – a pathway that allows Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny to approve major residential and commercial projects to bypass lengthy local council processes.

She told The Age that conversations between the project manager and the council indicated the developer now plans to construct between 1800 and 2400 dwellings on the site, significantly fewer than originally planned.

That would hamstring Glen Eira’s ability to meet ambitious housing targets set by the government, and has led to the mayor seeking an urgent meeting with Kilkenny.

The developer denied claims it plans to build fewer homes, but would not clarify how many it is seeking to construct despite repeated inquiries from this masthead.

“There have been no changes to the proposed dwelling numbers in the proposed amendments to the East Village planning framework,” a SEMZ spokesman said.

“The amendments are intended to facilitate housing delivery by bringing forward retail amenity, supporting the investment required for residential development and creating a well-serviced community from the outset.”

Public plans prepared by the Victorian Planning Authority from 2017 and 2020 show 3000 dwellings were earmarked for the East Village site plus office and retail space.

The council fears any shortfall will put pressure on other parts of the municipality to make up the numbers.

“If developers can use the DFP to build fewer homes it makes a mockery of the whole system. Other developers will copy this approach, placing the state’s housing growth strategy at risk,” Zmood said.

“That is essentially our last greenfield site. Glen Eira is predominantly a residential area. So there is very little opportunity for brand-new, big developments.”

According to a report commissioned by Glen Eira council, and completed by urban planning firm Mesh in January, under-development of core sites risks undermining the approved East Village plans.