Fusion has formally reviewed the proposed draft Darebin Planning Scheme Amendment C232dare for the surplus railway land at Bell Station. While we strongly support high-density urban infill on fixed-rail corridors, the current framework misses a massive opportunity to capture public value for the community.
Our Position on Amendment C232dare:
The strategic case for rezoning surplus railway land created by the Bell Street level crossing removal is strong. Placing medium-to-higher density residential development directly adjacent to an established fixed-rail station reduces car dependency and makes productive use of publicly funded infrastructure investment. The principle here is right. The detail is where this amendment falls short.
1. Capturing the Windfall for Public Housing
The draft Incorporated Document sets a 10% affordable housing contribution as the baseline requirement. For a rezoning of this nature—public land, adjacent to a publicly funded station, made viable by a state-funded level crossing removal—that threshold fails to capture the public value this decision creates.
Rezoning from a Public Transport Zone to a Mixed Use Zone generates an immediate and substantial land value uplift for the developer. That uplift is not earned through commercial risk or private investment—it is a direct consequence of public infrastructure spending. A 10% affordable housing return on that windfall is not an equitable exchange.
The Fusion Alternative: The Minister for Planning should amend the Incorporated Document to mandate a minimum 20% affordable housing contribution. Where that proves insufficient to capture the full locational value created by the rezoning, the state should consider implementing a Transit Land Value Tax mechanism within the station catchment to ensure ongoing public reinvestment from the location premium this land will continue to attract.
2. Eliminating Speculative Surface Car Parking
Land immediately adjacent to a premium rail station is among the most valuable urban land in the corridor. Permitting surface car parking within the precinct footprint is an inefficient use of that resource and inconsistent with transit-oriented development principles.
The final Master Plan should explicitly prohibit surface car parking within the precinct boundary. Where any portion of the site is proposed for surface parking, it should attract a meaningful municipal surcharge sufficient to make that use financially unviable relative to productive alternatives, whether residential development, community infrastructure, or deep-soil canopy planting.
3. Absolute Protection of the Active Transport Assets
The shared walking and cycling path running parallel to the elevated Mernda line is a significant active transport asset. The final architectural specifications must ensure that building massing, particularly at the 13-storey upper end of the proposed envelope, does not overshadow or visually narrow this corridor.
Ground-floor interfaces along the path boundary should incorporate wide setbacks, active frontages, and clear sightlines consistent with CPTED principles. The path must remain safe, well-lit, and legible at all hours as a baseline safety requirement for an active transport link serving commuters and school-age pedestrians.