A leading Melbourne council is setting a benchmark in urban stormwater management with the goal of improving the quality of stormwater runoff into Port Phillip Bay from built up areas, and with the hope of influencing other councils in the Port Phillip and Western Port region to follow suit.
A collaborative partnership has been undertaken between Bayside City Council, the Association of Bayside Municipalities (ABM) and the Victorian Government (DPCD, MW and EPA) to improve the way in which urban development affects stormwater and to protect Port Phillip Bay.
The Association of Bayside Municipalities undertook a study in 2004 titled Clean Stormwater – a planning framework. This project was funded by the Commonwealth and Victorian governments and was initiated to change the way in which urban development affects stormwater and to protect Port Phillip now and into the future.
The project found that high quality stormwater treatment can be achieved in most forms of urban development. For example, high quality stormwater treatment can be achieved in high density inner urban developments - and in the medium density single lot redevelopments that are likely to occur in Bayside City Council.
Port Phillip and Westernport CMA CEO David Buntine says that “Bayside Council’s best practice approach to improve the quality of stormwater runoff is consistent with the Authority’s Regional Catchment Strategy goals."
Bayside City Council is the first council to pilot the report’s recommendations. One of the key recommendations from the project was that a regulatory system to ensure effective water sensitive urban design outcomes needs to be integrated into each council’s planning scheme. The City of Bayside has implemented this recommendation and improved its local planning scheme to protect Melbourne’s waterways including Port Phillip (Bay).
The amendment to Bayside’s Local Planning Scheme strengthens the statutory basis and requirements for the incorporation of water sensitive urban design into new development and subdivision.
The amendment:
- Makes changes to the Municipal Strategic Statement (MSS) (Clauses 21.02-3, 21.03, 21.04-2 and 21.12-3) to strengthen the strategic basis for the introduction of stormwater quality requirements for relevant new development
- Introduces a new local policy, Clause 22.10 Water Sensitive Urban Design (Stormwater Management) that will be used to control the quality of stormwater output from individual sites across the municipality and implements the objectives and strategies of the MSS.
The better quality and quantity of stormwater eminating from all forms of new urban development in Bayside will assist to protect Port Phillip (Bay) and its values.These amendments will contribute to the achievement of a number of targets from Victoria’s Our Water our Future Strategy, the PPW Regional Catchment Strategy, EPA and Melbourne Water’s Better Bays and Waterways program and Melbourne Water’s Regional River Health Strategy.
The Port Phillip and Westernport CMA commends Bayside City Council, the ABM and the Victorian Government for surging ahead to improve stormwater management in Bayside and Port Phillip (Bay). |