Melbourne council rejects town centre plan as car-centric and too small
Whittlesea council opposes a town centre plan for Mernda, saying it is car-dependent and undershoots housing by more than 1,000 homes.
A Melbourne outer-north council has rejected a revised plan for a town centre at Mernda. Councillors call it a "glorified drive-through" and a lost opportunity.
The 24-hectare site next to the Mernda train station includes up to 368 homes and 628 car parks. The City of Whittlesea says 1,450 homes could fit.
The plan bypasses council under Victoria's development program. It goes straight to the planning minister for approval after the state election.
Council officers say the retail design resembles a homemaker centre that belongs on an outer highway, not a walkable town centre. An RMIT urban planning professor agreed, calling it an "ugly and inefficient" waste of land next to public transport.
- 298 to 368
- Homes proposed
- 1,450
- Homes council says fit
- 628
- Car parks included
- 24 hectares
- Site size
Why it mattersHow Mernda develops now shapes whether residents will drive or walk for decades. A car-dependent town centre locks people into cars when the goal is sustainable transport around rail hubs.
