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Colours fly Crowds gathered at Banjo Paterson Park on Saturday 28 February as the Lynbrook Residents Association hosted its annual Holi Festival, filling the park with music, dancing and vibrant clouds of coloured powder. Performances by the Bolly Dazzlers, a DJ set and live drumming kept the crowd moving throughout the afternoon. Organisers said the celebration captured the spirit of Holi, with families and friends sharing culture, connection and joy. Full story page 6
No amount of colour was too much. (Rob Carew: 535616)
Housing debate Opposition Leader Jess Wilson has unveiled the first plank of the Coalition’s housing strategy to fast-track land release in growth areas as the State heads into an election year. Speaking at the Future Victoria Summit on Wednesday last week, she criticised the current Precinct Structure Plans (PSPs) approval system as slow and overly regulated, with some projects not expected to begin until the late 2030s. PSP is a blueprint for developing new sub-
urbs in growth areas, outlining land use, infrastructure, and services needed to support future communities. There are now 27 PSPs in the pipeline across Melbourne’s growth areas, including four in the City of Casey: Croskell, Casey Fields South (Employment), Devon Meadows and Clyde South. Star News reported last year that Casey Council and developers are concerned that reduced land supply has impacted housing affordability,
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as PSP approvals have slowed in recent years. The last PSP approved in Casey was in 2019. However, her strategy has not met universal approval. Housing experts warn that releasing more land alone is unlikely to significantly reduce house prices. RMIT Associate Professor Trivess Moore said affordability depends on multiple factors, including labour shortages, construction capacity and material costs.
City of Casey mayor Stefan Koomen also spoke out on the policy, saying any further growth in the outer suburbs has to come with real investment in the supporting infrastructure. “We’ve got waitlists for swimming lessons, huge waits on the road just to get to a train station because often people are having to travel 20 minutes by car just to get on a train without the supporting bus network,” he said. Full story page 2
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