INDUSTRIAL LAND USE STRATEGY - City of Darebin

allowing Council the opportunity to assessthe potential impact of a proposed use,determine whether that new industry anddevelopment is of a type, scale and formsuited to its proposed location within adeveloped municipality and to impose anyconditions necessary to protectneighbouring amenity. For example,Council may determine that an industry isnot detrimental if certain conditions suchas the hours of operation or route of heavyvehicles are restricted via a condition of aplanning permit.It is also recommended to apply Business3 zone to some currently industrial zonedland, particularly the Northcote CentralIndustrial/Employment node andpotentially in the East Preston CoreIndustrial area (subject to a further study).The Business 3 zone allows industrial usesto continue to develop without a permit ifthey meet stringent conditions andsetbacks designed to prevent them fromimpacting on residential or sensitive landuses. But the fundamental difference ofthe Industrial 3 and the Business 3 zones isthat Office uses (over 500 square meters)are permitted in the Business 3 zone. Thiswould allow the development of standaloneoffice complexes to establishindependently of any industrial usage.Accommodation and Shop are stillprohibited uses in this zone.The application of the Business 3 zonefundamentally allows the development of agreater office component within theprecinct, which would diversify the uses ofthe area while retaining substantialemployment opportunities.Service Business AreasThe City of Darebin recognises the need tomaintain some opportunities for smalllocalised service business areas throughoutthe city. Small pockets of Industrial 3zoning currently provide a location forthese activities. However, it is consideredthat industrial zoning should be used toindicate Council’s preferred locations forindustrial uses.Therefore it is recommended that aBusiness 3 zone be used to provide forlocal service business opportunities.The Business 3 zone allows land to beused for industry without a permit subjectto various conditions including minimumsetbacks. Because of the small size ofthese pockets it is unlikely that they wouldbe able to comply with the conditions ofthe planning scheme and so developmentwould require a permit. This allowsCouncil the opportunity to assess theapplication to ensure the proposed use issuited to the location.It is recommended that the existingisolated pockets of Industrial 3 zone beassessed on individual merit and, whereappropriate, be retained for local servicebusiness use under a Business 3 zone.Where these areas are no longerfunctioning or particularly inappropriatelylocated, they should be rezoned, generallyto reflect surrounding zones and land uses.Single Users SitesThese sites have been identified as beinginappropriate for industrial use because ofa variety of factors including isolation,inadequate access etc. However, Councilrecognises that the continued successfuloperation of the industry is important toDarebin’s economy.Therefore, it is recommended that thecurrent zoning remain in place on thesesites. It is also recommended that Councilwork with these industries to ensure thatany off-site impact of their operations isminimised.The zoning of these areas could bereconsidered if these industries were torelocate and the premises could not beutilised for less detrimental economic use.Council should consider the Decision-Making Framework established inSection 6 of this report when assessingplanning applications.City of Darebin Industrial Land Use Strategy 12