07/12/2025
Presentation by Andrew McEwen to Planning Panel C133sgip Rezoning of Council Land 14 Radovich St Korumburra
Jane Jacob in her seminal work “Life and Death of Great American Cities” in 1961 turned the then notions of good planning on its head and its previous neat and clear zoning division. Towns and cities vitality were an interaction of commercial, public, and residential spaces.
What we have been offered in the amendment is a monoculture of commercial activities devoid of human spaces and a significant loss of public space.
The Planning Amendment
Is devoid of any factual or logical argument for the necessity using data 12 years old and does not acknowledge the lack of the estimated development in this period.
Would develop a monoculture of commercial activity against the principle of good urban mix.
If implemented would create a lack of appropriately zone accessible public space
Would go against the wishes of 60% of the local people supporting the retention of the senior citizens centre.
Pre-empts decisions of supreme court over the existence of a trust to hold the senior citizen site in the ownership of the senior citizens. Councils own lawyer in negotiations have accepted that a trust exists.
The proposed rezoning is without merit!
There is no substantial evidence presented by Council of unmet demand for commercial land in the past ten years.
The few new development that has occurred have been met through the utilization of existing land and buildings zoned commercial.
There are already a substantial number of vacant buildings and undeveloped appropriately zoned commercial land.
There is no assessment of available and demand for social and community spaces.
The rezoning would take 1600sqm out of the public zone land.
The Korumburra Hub public space land is inaccessible and inadequate for current demand.
The original decision of council, the old health department, the medical centre, and senior citizens do not believe that the Korumburra Community Hub site is accessible for disabled people or adequate to meet demand and replace the senior citizens centre.
The Hub provides only197sqm or 50% of the meeting space in comparison to 390 sqm at the Senior Citizen Centre.
Milpara Community House which was well patronised at its older accessible site in moving to the hub has had its program reduced by 60% and a decline in its users.
The hub would fail to provide more than 10% of the Senior Citizens former activities and its spaces are not suitable for a range of uses.
Currently, the Senior Citizens Centre is in discussion with six community groups for use of their site and there is a proposal for it to be used also a youth centre as well as Senior Citizens Centre use.
The proposed Amendment if approved would take the soul out of the precinct by taking out what was a unique and vibrant community facility with hundreds of weekly
Denies that over 2300 residents more than 60% of the adult population want the retention of the Senior Citizens Centre as a key public space for Korumburra.
The proposed rezoning takes away disability access to public spaces in the central precinct.
It takes away a significant meeting, events, markets and a theatre, a space for indoor recreational activities and congregate meals
Conclusion
The rezoning is problematic and proposed with such threadbare evidence.
The public use zoning on the seniors site needs to be retained to protect one of the few accessible site in the precinct for community use.
Under principles of social justice good planning should provide accessible precincts for all residents for public purposes and particularly less abled people.
The precinct rezoning does not cater for people with a disability who according to the ABS in 2021 represented 20% of the population.
The Senior Citizens building and site is the only accessible public zoned sites in the precinct.
There is no evidence of any unmet demand now or over the next ten years to justify the proposed rezoning.
The Korumburra Hub even if accessible is inadequate for the Senior Citizens let alone other community unmet demands.
Good planning should provide space for a variety of uses to make a vibrant place including appropriately zoned accessible public space.
If history is any guide, demand for centrally located accessible public spaces will continue to grow for new and existing social and community services.
Rejecting the rezoning of the Senior Citizens land would:
Be listening and responding to the Korumburra community wishes.
Fulfills the broad aims of good planning and placemaking.
Continue to protect and provide accessible public space in the precinct.
Preserve the amenity and vitality of the precinct as a public rather than just a commercial space.
Finally Comments on Councils Submission part B.
It is based on outdated 2013 report that failed grossly to predict demand for commercial space.
Councils own report 2013 acknowledge the high level of leakage and the significant retail competition from Leongatha and Wonthaggi
The only new developments have been met within existing zoned land and buildings.
There are still 7 vacant buildings, and many small businesses are struggling.
We have lost 2 banks, a butcher a greengrocer in the last few years.
Leongatha has strengthened its retail particularly with three supermarket and Aldi competition.
The proposed rezoning fails to canvass ecommerce’s impact.
Ecommerce has grown ABS from 4%-16% of retail from 2010- 2024 with 64% of consumers regular user.
The 2013 study estimated a 2600sqm increase in retail and other space did not materialise.
No reason to assume the growth in demand for space estimated in council’s Part B submission.
Korumburra is a twin city should be assessed as one.
There are 13 regions in Australia where there is not one dominant regional centre. Our region is one with of almost equal size. Leongatha and Korumburra in many ways operate as one town separated by 13 kilometres. There is significant and probably growing service and retail functions in Leongatha that are not available in Korumburra. The failure of the estimates of space demand in Tim Notts 2013 study is indicative of the continued high level of leakage of retail and other expenditure.
The interaction between Leongatha and Korumburra have not been explored or a detailed economic justification made for the proposed zoning changes, along with the impact of the massive growth in E commerce. According to ABS e-commerce has grown from 4% to 16% of retail sales between 2010 and 2024. Currently 64% of consumers use online selling platforms. The study estimated originally that 2600 square metres demand by 2021 for retail and other space was required, but this did not materialise at all. So, the estimate for need for 7000sqm by 2031 is not backed up with UpToDate realistic economic forecasts of the demand for space. The fact of the past twelve years would indicate that it is unlikely to be achieved at anywhere near the level suggested.
If you look at the new business (brewery, coffee roaster, high quality food Coterie, fashion, art, music instruments, quality gifts shop and many ops shops is starting to operate in the town it has a resemblance to Daylesford and Brunswick. The town is slowly reinventing itself, but not as the retail and commercial centre. But as a Victorian town with fabric of Victorian housing and a rich history of coal mining and longest rial trail as a Tourist Destination.
Korumburra’s Future
Korumburra is the ‘Daylesford’ of Southwest Victoria. It is a similar distance from Melbourne. It is well within the tourist commuting range and indeed rural living commuting range. It has Victorian landscape an interesting urban fabric with the rich history around Coal Creek and the unique rail station.
Andrew McEwen
Co-convener
4/12/25
