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Aussie state gov't moves to limit height of Melbourne's new skyscrapers

Xinhua, April 26, 2016 Adjust font size:

An Australian state government has moved to impose height restrictions on future skyscrapers in the city of Melbourne, unless developers can prove they serve a direct benefit to the community.

Under the plan, outlined on Tuesday before the release of the Victorian state budget, the government has implemented changes to control the growth of tower developments in Australia's second biggest city.

Between 2011 to 2013, now Opposition leader Matthew Guy approved 20 high-rise proposals including the under-construction 319-meter Australia 108 skyscraper in the CBD while only rejecting one.

Since coming to power in 2014, the Labor government has looked to slow Melbourne's inner-city tower boom by introducing interim controls which restrict new buildings to a maximum of 24 floors if they cannot provide substantial "space offsets".

The new proposed rules have built on last year's interim controls, with the government specifying developers will need to construct parks, childcare facilities and social housing in order to sweeten the deal.

Victoria's Planning Minister Richard Wynne said the requirements are necessary to ensure Melbourne does not become a concrete jungle.

"Housing density in the CBD of Melbourne (is) now greater than some of our Asian cities such as Singapore and Hong Kong," Wynne told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Tuesday.

"These controls are needed to ensure Melbourne continues to develop in a sustainable way."

Basically, draft rules set a floor area ratio of 18:1, meaning a 1,000-square-meter site could have floor space of 18,000-square-meter -- or 18 storeys.

However, no maximum height limit has been slated, and each public submission will go before an independent panel.

Building industry groups have suggested Melbourne may lose business to the rival cities of Sydney and Brisbane over the changes.

But Wynne disagreed. "Sydney has got more height restrictive controls than we have here in Melbourne. So let's have the community conversation about this," he said.

The new rules, drafted in consultation with City of Melbourne and the Office of the Victorian Government Architect, will be imposed by the end of 2016. Endit