By Callum Ludwig
The controversial Warburton Urban Design Framework (WUDF) was ultimately passed at the Tuesday 26 March Yarra Ranges Council meeting following the decision being deferred in 2023.
A petition from Warburton Tennis Club President John Champion was the first thing to come forward on the topic, but Mr Champion and the club’s concerns had already been calmed by an amendment to the WUDF announced by Council in mid-March.
Mr Champion said he wanted to thank the councillors who visited and listened to the club’s members, friends of the tennis club and the community.
“Assuming that not everyone in each household signed the petition, the 624 (people) probably represents a majority of residences in Warburton and I’m here to tell you that those households are aware of Warburton, its value and want to be involved in its future development,” he said.
“I trust Nathan (Islip) that you and your team found the community representatives both constructive and hard-working, as we said we would be, and we stand ready to seize this opportunity to be a part of this development, to maintain the health of our beautiful river and to increase the safety of all the town for residents and visitors.”
The Warburton Tennis Club were initially dismayed at plans in the original draft of the WUDF to move the tennis courts to the Warburton Recreation Reserve, away from their riverfront position and historic clubhouse. This idea was removed in the recent amendments and was supported by councillors at the meeting.
Manager of Design and Place at Yarra Ranges Council Nathan Islip was given five minutes to introduce the item before councillors heard from a speaker for and against the WUDF.
Mr Islip introduced the key goals and plans of the UDF as well as what was changed following the community’s feedback;
The integrated nature of the WUDF breaks down plans for the town into deliverable individual projects and stems from the Warburton Place Plan in 2020
Priorities and concerns of residents included managing the influx of visitors in peak tourism times, protecting the natural environment (especially the Yarra River) and protecting the character of the town
The WUDF does not seek to change or increase any current planning controls and rather exists to manage further development within existing controls, such as the suitability of three-storey developments
Continuing to work on and foster relationships with organisations such as the Warburton Emergency Planning Group, the Yarra Riverkeeper Association and others with lived experience to help guide detailed designs of future projects
Mr Islip said there had been really encouraging levels of engagement from the community throughout the whole UDF process.
“We’re very grateful, especially recently, for the constructive and respectful way that we’ve been able to work with a wide range of the community,” he said.
“Even when we don’t always agree, it’s always been constructive and so we look forward to continuing this in the years to come.”
Christian Nielsen from the Upper Yarra Sustainable Development Alliance (UYSDA) and President of the Warburton Advancement League (WAl) Jeff Gill were the speakers in objection and in support of the item respectively.
Mr Nielsen said the UYDA remain deeply concerned about the lack of emergency planning and evacuation planning.
“It was during the (Warburton) Trail Fest this year under extreme fire risk that the local CFA asked Warburton residents to enact their fire plans early if needed, yet the trail fest took place under those very dangerous circumstances,” he said.
“World Trails, who designed the mountain bike trails (Warburton Mountain Bike Destination), estimate that about 7200 people could come into Warburton for mountain biking events and it would be unimaginable how to possibly manage that level of people under those circumstances,”
“The recent Trail Fests incident obviously highlights the need for this to take place before the UDF can continue to be implemented.”
Following Mr Nielsen’s comments, Mr Islip fielded questions from councillors regarding whether the framework was aligned with the Yarra Strategic Plan, if Council has the scope for a body of emergency planning work now, and could work with the Warburton Emergency Planning group on it if possible.
Mr Islip confirmed the WUDF was intended to be developed in line with the Yarra Strategic Plan and shared objectives such as improving and maintaining water quality or promoting ecotourism. He also confirmed the WUDF is aligned with the Councill’s Municipal Emergency Management Plan, that Council had taken note of a first-of-its-kind emergency management study model being conducted by Wollondilly Shire Council in New South Wales and would consider working with the Warburton Emergency Management group to be very appropriate.
However, Mr Islip said it would be beyond Council’s remit to try and do further emergency planning themselves but would advocate to the Municipal Emergency Management Planning Committee (MEMPC) and Department of Transport and Planning (DOTP).
Mr Gill said the WAL are very happy with the WUDF, though it’s not perfect, nothing is and he’d like to go into what he calls the three ‘hotspots’ of the WUDF; the elderly citizens’ area on Dammans Road, The Chalet car park and the Redwood Centre parking concerns.
“We have been banging on for about five years and bombarding council with letters about doing something about it (at Dammans Road), this UDF does address that problem of formalising the parking and getting rid of those disgusting old sheds and barbecues to have something more user-friendly,” he said.
“The second one we would really support is the Chalet car park, which was a car park in the 1930s and 40s for the Chalets, up to the 50s and I can remember a hundred cars in there in the 1960s, and that to me would be a perfect overflow car part for the township,”
“A hot topic is the Redwood Centre area… they’re (the Redwood centre) more than happy with the framework, especially the 41 car parking, I think it’s 41 or 42, which the River Reserve has ticked off on, I’ve always wondered where the boundary was and I think it might pay for a few local people to go down and talk to ADRA about where the actual boundary is.”
ADRA has approved of opening up the oval at the Redwood Centre as a community space should the WUDF be approved.
O’Shannassy Ward Councillor Jim Child proposed an alternative motion in which the findings and proposed changes from the targeted community consultation, such as abolishing any relocation of the tennis courts, was adopted. The alternative motion also included replacing the last three sentences on page 54 of the agenda under ‘Preferred Character’, relating to traffic concerns of Thomas Avenue with the words;
“The safety of traffic and vehicle movements will be monitored and assessed once a new turning circle has been delivered and any further improvements to pedestrian safety, traffic, and parking will be explored as needed.”
No other speakers from the community were able to speak to the motion but all councillors took the opportunity to speak to the item, including to approve of the engagement of the community, commend the changes following community consultation and stress the importance of maintaining the character of the town.
All councillors voted in favour of the alternative motion bar Walling Ward Councillor Len Cox OAM who had concerns about overdevelopment in the town, particularly regarding three-storey buildings, despite the current existence of three-storey buildings in the township and three-storey buildings being permitted under current planning controls.
