Your wrap-up of Moonee Valley Council Meeting | March 25, 2025

Missed this month’s Moonee Valley City Council Meeting?

Below is a summary of items debated and endorsed.

Remember: you can attend Council Meetings in-person or tune into the livestream via the MVCC website. The video recording remains available at the conclusion of the meeting, as do Agendas and Minutes from past meetings.

Advocating for better tower outcomes

Councillors this month endorsed a submission to the Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry into the redevelopment of Melbourne’s public housing towers. Five high-rise towers in Flemington are slated for demolition and redevelopment as part of the state government’s housing plan. Our submission welcomes the opportunity to increase both the quality and quantity of social housing in Moonee Valley. Council would like to see 30 per cent of housing at Flemington Housing Estate remain public housing. But it also calls on the state government to improve its communication and on-site engagement with residents, so they are kept up to date about plans for their neighbourhood. A masterplan for the Flemington Estate redevelopment is also recommended to ensure adequate car parking and open spaces are provided.

Residents write in about their high-rise concerns

Joint letters from 98 residents in Essendon, Essendon North, Strathmore and Niddrie have expressed concern over the Victorian government’s Draft Activity Centre plan and the possibility of high-rise development in their neighbourhoods. The letters ask Council to do what they can to limit high-density housing to the area around Essendon station and away from family homes, with signatories fearful about loss of privacy, security and sunlight. There were also several public questions on this matter presented at last night’s meeting.

Councillors unanimously voted in favour of a Notice of Motion on the same topic, asking the state government to work more closely with Council on, and to centre the community in, the planning reform process.

Clearing up drainage confusion

Several questions from the public gallery asked Council about stormwater and drainage around Stuart Street, Moonee Ponds, which have been the subject of an anonymous letter circulated to some residents in recent days. CEO Helen Sui responded to misinformation in that letter, clarifying that stormwater has never been diverted from Puckle Street and Mt Alexander Road to local streets, nor was there any plan to do so. Melbourne is undergoing considerable flood modelling and any subsequent changes to planning overlays would only occur after extensive consultation.

A safer route for Moonee Ponds Creek Trail

A section of the Moonee Ponds Creek trail alongside Boeing Reserve will be rerouted into Merri-bek to offer pedestrians and cyclists safer passage. Concerns about path quality and a steep decline into the creek prompted Council to consider different route options. Councillors ultimately opted to direct traffic across the creek and onto the Merri-bek side where an existing path runs at a safer distance from the creek.

Welcome to Witty Lane

An unnamed laneway behind Racecourse Road will henceforth be known as Witty Lane after councillors gave the moniker their stamp of approval. The name honours Magg Witty, who ran the Palace Hotel on the corner of Racecourse and Rankins Road in the years following World War I. Witty was a popular figure at the Hotel and is remembered for her generosity. Former Mayor and Councillor Lydia Kauzlarich was among several other names submitted during the consultation process and Council acknowledged the request to celebrate the former Mayor.

The road to Net Zero

Twelve new carbon reduction initiatives are set to help Moonee Valley achieve its goal of net zero emissions by 2040.  Among the initiatives endorsed last night were:

• the roll-out of home energy assessments to help residents plan for insulation upgrades and draught proofing
• a dedicated council resource to support businesses to explore ways they can reduce emissions, and
• further support for the Move in March school active transport program.

Let’s Go Zero Program has already supported 20 emission reduction initiatives, in areas like reducing landfill, transitioning to renewables and sustainable transport. Together those first 20 initiatives are set to reduce carbon emissions by nearly 11,000 tonnes.

Other news

Councillors also:

• carried a motion in favour of a new apartment and commercial building at 51 and 53-55 Keilor Road, amending the initial recommendation of an eight-level building to six levels.
• adopted a parking management plan for Newmarket precinct
• appointed a contractor to manage weed eradication over the next two years
• noted the latest Priority Project quarterly implementation update, and
• agreed to put out for community consultation amendments to the Governance Rules and Election Period Policy. Amendments include:
  • improved processes for the disclosure of conflicts of interest
  • clarifying processes like Urgent Business
  • a commitment from Council about the use Notices of Motion.