It took just two months for Boroondara residents to drain the available subsidies in the pilot round of the council’s sustainable energy program, forcing it to close applications early.

Now, Boroondara Council will reopen the program next month, delivering up to $1 million in grants across a maximum of 500 homes.

The program: Boroondara’s Sustainable Transition (BooST) program includes free home energy assessments to all Boroondara residents – including both homeowners and renters – until funds are exhausted.

The scheme also provides a financial grant of up to $2,000 per household for eligible works, such as solar, batteries, electric vehicle chargers, draught proofing and induction cooktops.

During a meeting in late August, Boroondara councillors voted to award an initial $1.2 million contract to solar energy company HP Energy to deliver the second round of the program.

Applications will reopen in October, with the contract expiring on July 7, 2027.

The council selected HP Energy as the preferred provider through a competitive public tender process, due to experience, capability, customer service and the ability to start work by October.

The budget includes $1 million to deliver household energy efficiency subsidies of up to $2,000 per household and $205,000 for program establishment, data reporting and quality assurance.

The council will keep an additional $295,000 as a contingency to be released after 400 households have received a subsidy, with the limit set at 500 homes.

Earlier this year, the Solar Savers initiative helped deliver the pilot round of the BooST program, with 216 successful applicants exhausting the available subsidies before the end of the funding period – with the round launching in March and ending in May.

Out of the successful applicants, 4.2 percent lived in an apartment and 19.1 percent lived in a townhouse.

Staff said the emissions reductions amounted to 494 tonnes of carbon dioxide – or equivalent to removing about 181 cars off roads for a year.

Boroondara council mayor Wes Gault and his wife Jane moved into a mid-century home in Kew in mid-2023, using Solar Savers to help with installing a 10.4-kilowatt solar system on his roof. He uses the panels to power his household appliances, heat pump hot water system and charge his electric vehicle.

Gault said the “strong demand” for the pilot round BooST demonstrates “residents are ready to take action” to cut emissions and reduce their power bills.

Rewiring Australia director of strategic programs Kristen McDonald said not enough investment was made into programs like BooST.

“Collectively, if we electrified Australia's homes and cars, we could cut 20 percent off our national domestic emissions,” she told the Eastern Melburnian. “One of the key barriers that people have when they're thinking about electrifying their homes is that it can be really confusing.”

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More than 13,000 properties across the Yarra Ranges will now require geotechnical assessments, after the council adopted new changes to its erosion risk mapping. The changes aim to stop development on land that could be susceptible to landslides or landslips.

Yarra Ranges Council has been looking to amend its Erosion Management Overlay (EMO) maps since the severe storms that hit Mount Dandenong in June 2021, as well as the McCrae landslide event in January 2025.

Officially, the council started the process to amend its planning scheme in June 2025.

If your property is moved into the EMO, it means any development or earthworks would require an assessment from a qualified engineer.

New modelling carried out following severe storms in June 2021 increased the recorded number of all known landslides within the Yarra Ranges from 167 to more than 1,100.

Public consultation on the proposed changes ran from Thursday August 21 to Friday October 3, with a total of 88 submissions received.

The main issues raised in submissions included the impact on future development, stormwater and drainage, property values and insurance costs.

During its meeting on December 9 2025, the council requested the appointment of an independent planning panel to consider submissions, with a panel hearing held on May 25.

During a meeting on Tuesday September 8, the majority of councillors voted in support of adopting changes to the overlay in the Yarra Ranges planning scheme.

The changes would see the number of properties within the EMO increase from 11,359 to 13,432 – an 18.2 percent jump.

The changes also include removing 1,702 properties from the overlay — significantly more than the 937 initially proposed for removal.

Yarra Ranges mayor Richard Higgins said a number of other regional councils were looking to follow in the council’s footsteps, including the adjacent Knox Council.

“We’re one of the first councils to actually do this work … and get it right so that our community is safe,” he said.

The council will now submit the adopted amendments to the Planning Minister for a final tick of approval.

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A group of Hawthorn locals are protesting new developments on their street and say they're among the first to be impacted by the Victorian government's new planning laws.

The state government’s Mid-Rise Code, which applies to apartment buildings between four and six storeys, means local councils must approve housing applications within residential growth zones – and neighbours have no right to appeal.

The state government’s Mid-Rise Code came into effect in April, bringing in new planning controls for apartment buildings between four and six storeys.

The new rules mean local councils are unable to consider their own residential and local policies under applications within residential growth zones.

Essentially, as long as the majority of government-imposed standards are met or are “deemed to comply”, councils are required to green-light a project.

While councils are required to notify neighbours about a proposal, if all of the applicable standards are met, the right for an appeal at VCAT is removed.

The new rules aim to deliver housing growth in established neighbourhoods close to public transport, local services, community facilities and employment hubs.

The new rules will work alongside the train and tram zone activity plans for 60 zones around Melbourne, including in eastern suburbs like Hawthorn, Blackburn and Nunawading – which outline upper limits for housing towers up to 20 storeys.

Announcing the change in March, then-Victorian Premier Jacinta Allen said the new rules would allow mid-rise projects to be built in the high-density areas most in need of well-designed housing.

“Mid-rise projects shouldn’t be stuck in the system – they should be getting built,” she said. “The Mid-Rise Code is how we deliver more homes, faster, in the places people want to live.”

In Hawthorn, a group of locals is protesting against two proposed six-storey apartment buildings on Wattle Road.

One building would include 35 dwellings and two levels of basement car parking spaces, while another proposes 55 apartments and three levels of underground spaces.

The head of Wattle Road Residents Group, Michael Angwin, said he and other residents wanted the government to abolish the deemed to comply rules, so that locals can push back against developments like these.

“We're not opposed to high-density housing, but we think that two six-storey apartment buildings … would be unsustainable and unliveable,” he told the Eastern Melburnian. “When you can't debate the issues in the council chamber, local voices are not heard.”

Hawthorn Liberal MP John Pesutto said he attended a recent protest, arguing the Wattle Road precinct was not a suitable area for six-storey developments.

During the protest, Pesutto said an elected Coalition would review planning rules to give residents back their rights to appeal, echoing party leader Jess Wilson’s own stance.

“The government’s deemed to comply regime denies communities the genuine ability to have their say,” he told the Eastern Melburnian. “[A Coalition government] will restore public voices in the planning process.”

Federal Kooyong MP Dr Monique Ryan said any housing in the area “must be well designed and supported by appropriate infrastructure”.

“The Victorian Government’s planning framework doesn't adequately consider the cumulative impact of multiple higher-density developments in one neighbourhood or provide communities with sufficient opportunities for consultation,” she told the Eastern Melburnian. “I'll continue to advocate for more housing to be delivered in a way that respects local amenity and gives residents confidence that their concerns are being heard.”

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Yarra Ranges Council has locked in Lilydale as the preferred location for its proposed aquatic centre, ruling out options at Mooroolbark's Kiloran Park, as well as the possibility of a 50-metre pool.

What happened? At a council meeting on Tuesday September 8, the majority of councillors voted in support of naming Lilydale its favoured option for a new aquatic and leisure facility.

The location will be put forward in an upcoming business case, seeking the required funding from state and federal governments.

The decision removed Kiloran Park as a potential site, as well as the option for a 50-metre lap pool and the development of a standalone learn-to-swim facility.

Council staff said planning for a 25-metre pool was selected over a 50-metre pool as the construction of a shorter pool would be $10 million cheaper.

Yarra Ranges council has been investigating the construction of a new Urban Aquatics and Leisure Facility for more than two years, with proposed features including a main lap pool, a warm water therapy pool, a learn-to-swim pool, a gym and a café.

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1: Hundreds of fans of iconic soap opera Neighbours attended a special event at its main studios before part of the site is demolished to make way for redevelopment. In which suburb is this located?

A: Nunawading

2: A number of councils, including many across Melbourne’s east, are opposed to the state government’s mandate to introduce a glass disposal bin, with a final deadline set for July 1 next year. What is the colour of the bin’s lid?

A: Purple

3: The Suburban Rail Loop East’s tunnelling works begun earlier this week. What are the names of all six stations planned along the eastern arm?

A: Cheltenham, Clayton, Monash, Glen Waverley, Burwood, Box Hill

4: On Friday, the Melbourne Cricket Ground is set to host the first regular-season NFL game played in Australia. Who are the teams competing?

A: The San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams

5: Alexandra District Health merged with which eastern suburbs public health service late last month?

A: Eastern Health