Last night, I spoke at the Darebin Council meeting on behalf of Fair Growth Thornbury, delivering both an oral and written submission to ensure our community’s views were firmly on the record.

In my remarks, I put three direct questions to the Council’s executive team:

1️⃣ How can Council justify undertaking no community engagement, ignoring submissions like ours representing over 950 residents, and rushing its response through on a one-week timeline that gave the public almost no chance to comment?
2️⃣ How can Council justify supporting “inner catchment” classifications for areas it identified only two months ago in its own Housing Strategy as “increased change” zones of up to three storeys—now allowing six—when there’s been no change in circumstances and when “outer catchment” would better align with Council’s own strategy?
3️⃣ How has Council reflected the clear community priorities from Phase 1, the CRG, and our petitions calling to protect Thornbury’s residential streets and preserve High Street’s low-rise, village-like character and historic (not just heritage) shopfronts?

The answers were, unfortunately, underwhelming, lacking logic, reasoning and coherence. They reflected the same problems that have plagued Council’s original response to the State Government’s Thornbury Activity Centre plans.

Our oral and written submissions called for four clear, evidence-based changes to Council’s response:
(a) impose a six-storey height cap on High Street, with no exceptions;
(b) classify all increased-change areas in the Housing Strategy east of High Street as Outer Catchment;
(c) extend Outer Catchment zoning to Smith, Harold, Ballantyne, Shaftesbury (between St Georges Road and the train line), and Johnson and Stott Streets; and
(d) if minimal changes are made, amend the submission to clearly state that no community engagement was undertaken, and that it therefore does not represent community views.

While Council did not adopt our recommendations in full, there was a small but meaningful win. Councillors from the Greens and Labor teamed up to amend Council’s submission to the State Government to:
✅ Cap High Street at six storeys (except for Croxton car park and Psarakos market, which may reach ten storeys subject to a public benefit test);
✅ Request a street-by-street assessment of the “inner catchment” to test its suitability;
✅ Require a diversity of housing types across the inner catchments; and
✅ Encourage greater use of St Georges Road for higher-density development, where transport and infrastructure can actually support it.

Independent Councillor Angela Villella declined to support the motion, not because she disagreed with residents, but because she felt it didn’t go far enough in calling out the State Government’s deeply flawed process and one-size-fits-all planning model. We agree. It’s disappointing that others on Council weren’t willing to take that stronger stand, but Angela’s comments captured exactly what many in our community feel.

This modest outcome was only possible because of your efforts our submissions, the messages to councillors, and the strength of our petitions. Together, we’ve already forced changes that otherwise wouldn’t have happened.

Still, the result remains limited. The High Street cap is the only concrete improvement likely to carry weight with the State. Large parts of residential Thornbury east and west of High Street remain classified as “inner catchment,” and the vague call for “street-by-street review” and "diverse housing" is unlikely to shift the State’s current plans.

We’re now taking the fight to the State Government, working through MP Kat Theophanous and the Department of Transport and Planning. We’ll share updates soon on next steps, upcoming campaign activities and opportunities to get involved.

If you’d like to read our oral and written submissions or the questions we put to Council, please get in touch, we’re happy to share them.

We’ve also opened a GoFundMe page to help cover campaign costs. Every dollar counts and goes directly towards materials, printing and outreach.

Together, we’ve shown that a well-informed, united community can make a real difference. The fight for a fair and sustainable Thornbury isn’t over, it’s just moving to the next stage.