BOX HILL CENTRE A CITY OF TINY CONCRETE BOXES
This is for those interested in the future of Box Hill Major Activity Centre. As far as I am concerned it is a total disaster and somewhere to stay away from. Last time I went to check it I noticed there were two policemen on bicycles so I stopped and asked them what they were doing and they told me they have to be on bicycles to move fast to try to stop the sale of drugs going on openly. Mary Drost
Dear Mary Drost – I am passing this on as some may be interested to hear Senior Whitehorse Planning officers explain the proposed amendment of building guidelines for Box Hill Major Activity Centre: http://www.whitehorse.vic.gov.au/Amendment-C175.html
Nine precincts are
proposed ranging from 8 to 30 storeys – the old saying of cannot see trees for the forest now becomes cannot see the Dandenong`s for all the walls and windows. Box Hill is destined to become the “Hill of little boxes”.
Being just guidelines my two comments are:
Population expansion in last 5 years (29%/) but no projection on future potential population if all the built design capacity is taken up in the next 20 years. This is basis for my 1st question– population projections; schooling enrolment projections v`s current capacities and where new spaces will be built; roads “spare’ capacity where congestion already evident on Carrington Rd (mostly through the day); Station St and Elgar Rd (2 hours peak am and pm).
2nd question is more delicate than what building design guidelines can cover – that the marketing of the high density residential is focused to Chinese as has also been observed in the transitioning of the retail tenancies. Such concentration on one culture has been to the detriment of multi-culturalism as it is has become difficult for longer established residents of other backgrounds to relate to the centre any longer
Extract from the Hansen report to Council for the amendment … “the scope of this report broadly analyses the extent of maximum development capacity of the Study Area. Therefore, considering the ‘high level’ nature of these Guidelines, additional ‘fine grain’ analyses will be necessary to consider requirements for soft/hard infrastructure capacity and public realm improvements in the longer term which will result from future development
While the Council’s lead role in review of development proposals is critical, it is also acknowledged that the Centre’s infrastructure (soft and hard) needs to keep up with the growing population. The role of private and public organisations in achieving a viable development outcome in terms of financial, social and environmental matters should not be under-estimated through the use of public-private negotiation”
Regards, Resident of Box Hill
This previous Activity Centre Structure Plan (approx 2007) was much smaller than what is currently proposed. It was planned not long after Box Hill was connected to the Melbourne Tram network. Even then our “leaders” had called for improvements to Box Hill’s transport system to keep up with the spate of high rise construction.
The plan included the Whitehorse Towers development at 850 Whitehorse Road to a height of 36 and 26 storeys.
4 Comments
This is bad news for the planners of Doncaster Hill who were relying on its own residents accessing Box Hill infrastructure for services such as its Hospital, Train and employment opportunities which are already overstretched as a result of the burgeoning population. I have never met a politician, when in opposition, who approved this disastrous 20/30 style plan. It is when they get into government that their attitude changes. Which makes me think they are either stupid and could not care less or under the control of the bureaucrats who run the state planning department
Box Hill residents have never had a say in the current high density planning. Our city has been hijacked by highly paid people who have links with vested interests in property, mortgages and corporations that stand to benefit from increased development. Living standards will continue to fall as our streets and roadways become choked as will public services such as transport, schools and hospitals. The tendency for the current intake of migrants is to overcrowd, as they have in inner city apartments, resulting in what is called population overshoot.
There would be nothing built in the 20/30 apartment high rise scheme for Box Hill and Doncaster had it not been for the Federal Investment Review Board allowing overseas buyers to buy new or off the plan apartments/properties in Australia. This decision was made because there was no local demand for vertical living and the millions spent on promoting the plan would have otherwise gone down the gurgler. There was no public consultation or any consideration whatsoever for the impact it would have on the prospects of our own first home buyer.
Their plan was to fill the apartments up with people from south east and north east Asia.
The overshoot will occur when services can no longer cope with the increase in population. This will happen sooner rather than later due to overcrowding and sub-letting, similar to what is now happening in inner city.