Rally to save Sunvale - from developers!

Sunday's rally saw a great turn up of about 40-50 local residents angry about the lack of genuine consultation, the lack of planning for proper community facilities and the lack of planning for genuine affordable housing instead of just catering to the interests of developers

I have written many times on this blog about the issues at Sunvale and my position has not changed

I do not think more housing on this site is appropriate. Council's own open space strategy identifies a need for more open space in this area and there is also a need for community meeting space and facilities (especially for youth). The community has high levels of disadvantage and this needs to be addressed with an increased level of services and facilities not less!

While council's plan to keep half the space for open space and half for housing is better than nothing, it fails to take into account the serve disadvantage in this area and the wishes of our community. If it had properly consulted with the community, it may have been able to discuss these issues thoroughly and arrived ata compromise...but to date it has failed to do this!

I think urgent and genuine consultation with the sunshine community is critical

I support public housing as the only real solution to the housing affordability crisis, but will this housing be public or just cheap! The last thing we need is large numbers people living in cheap and nasty housing which will entrench their disadvantage. We need to start demanding high quality public housing that you and I would live in.

I also support infill development in places that have good community infrastructure. But who says we have good community infrastructure!!! Our infrastructure is lousy and has been suffering from underinvestment from Labor neglect for at least the last 20 years!

Where is the complete analysis of our housing needs, do we need more buildings to be built or are there houses sitting vacant in Toorak and Brighton that could be public housing and already have good infratructure and green places that would support and increase in density better than Sunshine.

Where and when is Sunshine going to get the infrastructure it needs right now!

While State government policy continues to allow a shifting UGB and a seemingly endless stream of financial support for developers profits at the expense of local communities - we should be sceptical of plans to build new cheap and nasty high density developments