Kooyong’s Monique Ryan hits out at state’s planning scheme as Hawthorn development asks for height to double

Kooyong MP Dr Monique Ryan is calling on Housing Minister Clare O’Neil to overhaul the State Government’s fast-track planning scheme, arguing it gives too much power to the Planning Minister and sidelines councils and residents.

Speaking to the Eastern Melburnian, Ryan said the Development Facilitation Program (DFP) is an “inappropriate” way to approve major developments.

✅ What is the DFP? Under the DFP, the Planning Minister decides major projects, bypassing council planning processes and public consultation, with a target of approving applications within four months.

🏗️ Local proposal: Last year, Boroondara council approved an eight-storey mixed-use development at 846–858 Glenferrie Road in Hawthorn.

• The developer has since lodged a DFP application for a 16-storey, 78-dwelling tower on the same site.

✍️ Shifting responsibility: Ryan said she is “shocked” a proposal double the approved height could be considered with limited community input.

• 🗣️ “It puts too much power in the hands of one person,” she said.

💰 Cheaper options: The proposal includes 17.5 percent affordable housing, above the 10 percent minimum. However, the developer could instead make a cash contribution to the State Government’s affordable housing fund.

• Ryan said affordable housing should be made mandatory under the DFP, adding the option to pay cash instead was “inadequate” and “needs to be addressed by the State Government.”