Matt Hewson
The long-running saga of the Pakington North Urban Design Framework (UDF) has reached a turning point, with Geelong council finally adopting a community co-designed framework at Tuesday night’s council meeting.
Councillors voted 8-3 in favour of the UDF, with councillors Anthony Aitken, Sarah Hathway and Elise Wilkinson voting against.
The UDF, a planning tool intended to guide the design and development of the Pakington North precinct for decades, has faced significant community opposition since it was initially conceived in 2017.
Sections of the community did, and still do, fear the UDF will give developers licence to destroy part of the area’s essential character, particularly regarding building heights, heritage zones and issues resulting from overpopulation including traffic and parking.
Seven years later, the council is finally able to take the next step; requesting the Minister for Planning authorise the exhibition of a planning scheme amendment to incorporate the UDF into the Greater Geelong Planning Scheme.
To get to this point the council had to send the framework through multiple rounds of community engagement, the last of which included a community panel to co-design this current iteration.
Even so, opposition remains. Two members of the community panel spoke passionately during public question time at Tuesday night’s meeting, outlining a long list of concerns with the way the co-design process had been conducted.
Councillor Jim Mason responded to those concerns, emphasising the exhaustive way in which consultancy firm Capire Consulting conducted the co-design process.
“This deliberative engagement was specifically designed to have a representative membership of the whole community, well over the minimum number required to allow for any drop off in numbers,” Cr Mason said.
“Those (community panellists) who were highly unhappy (with the co-designed UDF) were not only the group that wants building levels lower in the heritage area, but others that wanted them higher. So I think we’ve reached, as far as we possibly can, the sweet spot for the time.
“Indeed, without any progress here, the Pakington North Precinct is at risk of inappropriate development due to the current zoning.
“Implementation of the UDF into the Greater Geelong Planning Scheme will ensure much improved built form outcomes, including further opportunities for residential development.”
