Firstly, here is some history on the Prahran Masterplan process.
- In 2010 the Rudd/Gillard Government offered $62 million to the Victorian Government to construct 188 new homes on the corner of Malvern and Surrey roads in South Yarra. These were completed in 2013.
- Linked to this funding, the Victorian Government agreed to develop a masterplan to guide future renewal of Prahran’s Horace Petty estate.
- In August 2013, the Victorian Government expanded the masterplan to include the smaller nearby public housing at Bangs, King and Essex streets.
- In August 2015 it was announced that the high rise towers would remain in any redevelopment.
- In January 2016, the department lodged the Prahran Housing Precincts Development Plan (based on the final masterplan) with the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning for consideration.
If the plan is approved, the government must decide when and how to progress the vision and develop a detailed design.
The Consultation report on the Prahran Masterplan Phase 3 – Community Engagement Activities – has been released.
Phase 3 of the community consultation ran from 22 August to 18 September 2015 as the final opportunity for tenants to have a say prior to lodgement of the masterplan for planning approval.
Overall, 175 people participated in the facilitated engagement activities, 427 people visited the web page, 415 people downloaded information and 12 written submissions were lodged.
The majority of people who participated in Phase 3 generally supported the Masterplan. However, participation in this stage was lower than in previous stages.
The consultation report suggests that this is due to the fact that tenants are now were keen for the plan to proceed to implementation.