Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs “Building more homes around 50 inner-suburban train stations means young people have more opportunity to rent or buy a place that’s connected to public transport.”Sowerwine said extending activity centre zones with “walkable catchment zones” omitted the strict height controls that were in line with the conservation objectives of the heritage overlay covered by existing neighbourhood residential zones.“That will allow the objectives of the heritage overlay to be challenged at every turn in favour of any project that provides more housing,” he said. “We need housing and heritage, housing that preserves, respects and is integrated with heritage.”Sowerwine was also concerned that the walkable catchment zones extended the activity centres by another 800 metres.“All these areas are huge, much bigger than we expected,” he said. “Heritage will take a back seat to housing, and [the ambition of] ensuring we will have liveable new neighbourhoods will get lost.”Sowerwine said some of Melbourne’s best heritage areas were around train stations and the planned activity centres.Jonathan O’Brien, lead organiser of YIMBY Melbourne, backs more housing. Credit: Justin McManus“These are precincts that contribute in a significant way to what makes Melbourne and Victoria’s regional towns and cities distinctive and liveable, giving them unique character and appeal,” he said.The historical society wants heritage conservation to be included as one of the purposes of the walkable catchment zones and for them to include mechanisms to reconcile development with heritage covered under the heritage overlay.Sowerwine said the society’s members were not NIMBYs (Not In My Back Yard) but instead advocated TIMBY (Thoughtfully In My Back Yard) development.Jonathan O’Brien, lead organiser of advocacy group YIMBY Melbourne (Yes In My Back Yard), said the planned activity centres retained heritage overlays and the society was peddling misinformation and fearmongering.Loading“Heritage policy is not in any way going to be overwritten by this,” he said.The government has identified 25 of the 50 planned activity centres. YIMBY Melbourne has called for the inner and northern suburbs to be the focus for the next 25 railway station precincts to be targeted for higher-density housing.“The Royal Historical Society of Victoria seem much more interested in complaining about change rather than thinking about where their grandkids or great grandkids are going to live,” O’Brien said.Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
