The Yarra River will be subject to tougher planning rules and a new council will be created to oversee it under the latest state government plan to protect the waterway from inappropriate development.
After years of encroachment, the Andrews government is set to announce mandatory height restrictions on new properties, minimum setbacks for buildings, and tighter controls designed to reduce overshadowing.
A new Birrarung Council – comprising traditional owners and representatives from environmental, farming and community bodies – will also be established to advise the government and act as an "independent voice" for the river.
"We're delivering on our commitment to protect the Yarra River for decades to come," said Planning Minister Richard Wynne. "Tougher planning controls will ensure developments don't compromise the beauty of our iconic natural treasure."
As Melbourne's most iconic river, the Yarra runs for 242 kilometres through the Yarra Valley, across Melbourne's suburbs, and to the CBD. However, community groups and environmentalists have been calling for better planning rules for years, particularly around the 41-kilometre stretch between Richmond and Warrandyte, where development pressure is the greatest.
While councils have their own guidelines, part of the problem is that they tend to vary between municipalities and the rules can easily be ignored or appealed.
"The rules are highly variable between different councils. Nillumbik is different to Yarra, but they're also quite inconsistent when oe council is facing another on the side of the river," said Yarra River Keeper, Andrew Kelly. "Unless you have mandatory height limits and setbacks there are no effective controls on developers."
The new guidelines are contained in a Yarra River Action Plan to be unveiled by Mr Wynne, Water Minister Lisa Neville and Environment Minister Lily D'Ambrosio on Sunday, and will be introduced into six local government schemes this week.
Under the strategy, one of the most stringent controls will take the form of a Design and Development Overlay, applied to private land around the river.
This will prevent overshadowing at all times, require buildings to be set back between 30 metres and 150 metres from the banks (depending on location), and limit buildings to height restrictions of between eight metres and 25 metres (again depending on the area).
The government argues the changes will make it harder for developers to ruin the river's amenity. For instance, until now, the city of Boroondara had a blanket height control of nine to 10 metres for all river front buildings, but there were no mandatory setback controls, technically allowing developments to build right at the river's edge if the council approved.
Now, the controls will be stronger – and mandatory – which the government says will make it harder for developers to get a council permit or argue their case at VCAT.
The Yarra provides 70 per cent of the city's drinking water (through the Upper Yarra catchment), and the river mouth is home to the Port of Melbourne, Australia's largest container port. The Yarra River is also one of Victoria's most treasured open spaces.
However, as the action plan points out, the river faces numerous threats, including population growth and climate change.
"Population growth will continue to put pressure on the health of the Yarra River, increasing the importance of its parklands and public open spaces. Unless managed properly, urban development will also increase stormwater run-off into the Yarra impacting the health of the river and the bay," it says.
"Climate change is also a threat to the Yarra, with projections of declining rainfall, higher temperatures, longer droughts and more frequent storms and bushfires."
