Figure 3: Box Hill Structure Plan Area and Planning Area. Page 12 SRL East Draft Structure Plan – Box Hill; annotations added
Kieran Simpson
The State Government planned Blackburn Activity Centre sits in the Cootamundra Ward of Whitehorse Council. Since being elected in October 2024 as the Ward Councillor, I have met with residents and community groups to discuss their views on the upcoming changes. Residents, Whitehorse Council and myself are all concerned about the impact to tree canopy from planning changes.
Blackburn is special in that it has the Bellbird Area which was classified by the National Trust in the 1970s and retains a rural ambience in which the streetscape is dominated by vegetation, particularly trees. The area has a significant landscape overlay in the SLO-1 which has strict development limits and vegetation protection.
In my discussions with the government, including the local state member, I have personally advocated for the government to retain overlays such as the SLO-1 and SLO-2. This is to preserve the uniqueness of Blackburn and our local environment. With the government renewing the SLO-9 I am hopeful that we might see other overlays preserved.
When the draft plans for the Activity Centre are released, myself and Whitehorse Council will form a response, and I encourage all residents to participate in the consultation phases.
Residents are also welcome to contact me directly if they want. Until the draft plans are released, any claims about what are in the plans is speculation – even by me. I am disappointed that some residents have been given false information and contact me scared that they are going to lose their homes.
When I door-knocked residents living near Laburnum Village, many people shared with me their concerns about being in the SRL Box Hill Planning Area (the orange shared area on the diagram). Given the terrain in that area, I can understand frustration from residents that increasing housing density south of the train line, and east of Middleborough Road within the SRL Box Hill planning area doesn’t make a lot of sense and would have negative impacts on the local area and the village feel. It’s quite hilly so there would have to be significant earthworks to build higher density dwellings.
Earlier this year, I personally made a submission to the SRL Draft Structure Plans consultation process. In it, I outlined the reasons why I believe that area should be removed from the SRL Planning Area. I have received an invitation to register to speak to the Planning Panel later this year. I hope that it will result in an opportunity to represent the local residents’ views in person.
I attend the Blackburn Station Craft Market every month. Residents are welcome to come speak to me (and buy a couple of sausages). For regular updates my community newsletter will be going into letterboxes and residents can also follow me on Facebook via @crkieransimpson