Step forward in stormwater management


The City of Port Phillip is celebrating a significant step forward in sustainable planning which will greatly benefit the health of the Bay.

Planning Minister Matthew Guy has approved an amendment which introduces a new stormwater management (water sensitive urban design) policy into the Port Phillip Planning Scheme.

The initiative is the culmination of six years' work by four Councils from the Inner Melbourne Action Plan (IMAP): the Cities of Port Phillip, Stonnington, Melbourne and Yarra.

The Mayors of Port Phillip, Stonnington, Melbourne and Yarra welcomed the amendment as an innovative and important change in the way urban planning promotes sustainability.

"Embedding water sensitive urban design into the planning system paves the way for environmental policy which benefits all our residents and leads to greener cities," Mayor of Port Phillip Cr Stevens said.

'The policy will improve the City's water quality by requiring the implementation of stormwater management, such as rain gardens and permeable surfaces,' Mayor of Yarra said.

In a further benefit, water will be conserved through the use of rainwater tanks and grey water systems. This will reduce the impact of stormwater on bays and catchments and reintegrate urban water into the landscape.

"These improvements to stormwater quality will help to tackle a challenging issue for our rapidly growing city," City of Melbourne Planning Chair, Cr Ken Ong said

The new provisions will apply to all new buildings and extensions bigger than 50 square metres in the four IMAP municipalities.

Cr Adrian Stubbs, Mayor of Stonnington congratulated the IMAP group on their initiative. "The collaboration between Councils on this project is to be commended."

Each of the IMAP Councils are the planning authorities on the amendment, which are expected to soon become law after being gazetted by the State Government.

For more information visit Stonnington Council