Sharon Harrison Councillor for Boulevard Ward

22/10/2026

MINISTERIAL PLANNING APPLICATION - 550 & 556 Swan Street Richmond (PPE26/0577)
On the agenda at the Planning Decisions Committee Meeting next week is a Development Facilitation Program Planning Application for the above site. It is located within the Swan Street Activity Centre, on the south side of Swan Street opposite Bendigo Street, and close to Ryan’s Reserve.
The Meeting is on Tuesday 27 October 2026 at 6.30pm at Fitzroy Town Hall.
The proposal is for the construction of two connected multi-storey buildings (13 storeys and 15 storeys) associated with the use of the land as dwellings, retail premises (food and drink) and office.
Key points about the application are:
• This application was made to the Minister for Planning under Clause 53.23 (Significant Residential Development with Affordable Housing). Council is a Referral Authority and is not the Responsible Authority (decision maker) for this Planning Application.
• The Department of Transport and Planning still has not commenced the public notice period for this Planning Application, although they have advised that they expect the public notice period to commence any day.
When the public notice period commences, you will be able to access the Planning Application documents via the Ministerial Planning Register:
https://www.planning.vic.gov.au/planning-approvals/ministerial-permits-register/ministerial-permits/5c7cc8a4-3a92-f111-8076-7ced8d33fb5a.
In the interim, you can contact the Department of Transport and Planning to request a copy of the Planning Application from DTP.
The Planning Officer’s report on this Planning Application is in the PDC Agenda, along with all the Planning Application documents and a link to register to make a submission at the PDC Meeting can be accessed via the following webpage:
https://www.yarracity.vic.gov.au/about-us/council-and-committee-meetings/planning-decisions-committee-meetings/planning-decisions-committee-meeting-27-october-2026
Council’s Governance Rules allow only the applicant and objectors to address the Committee, in accordance with the requirements of the Planning and Environment Act 1987.
If you wish to submit an objection, you should send this directly to the Department of Transport and Planning ([email protected]). You could also copy this correspondence to Council’s Planning team ([email protected]) and myself ([email protected]).
If you wish to make a public submission at Council’s PDC Meeting, please register with Council by 6.30 pm on Monday 26 October via the public registration link, which is available on Council's (via the link above).
The Planning Officer’s Report highlights the following issues:
(i) The proposal fails to provide a meaningful affordable housing contribution in accordance with Clause 53.23 (Significant Residential Development with Affordable Housing) and has failed to demonstrate how the application qualifies for consideration under Category 1 of Table 1 at Clause 53.23;
(ii) The development does not comply with the requirements of Schedule 28 of the Design and Development Overlay of the Yarra Planning Scheme, including maximum building height, street wall height, building setbacks and building separation and represents an inappropriate development outcome having regard to the design objectives of DDO28;
(iii) The development lacks an adequate public realm response;
(iv) The development does not comply with Clause 58 standards of the Yarra Planning Scheme for on-site and internal amenity;
(v) The development’s ESD response is deficient and contains insufficient detail to support its ESD claims; and
(vi) The bicycle parking provision for residents, employees and visitors is insufficient.
Given that this Planning Application is not on public notice yet, please consider passing on this information on to other residents/ratepayers in this precinct.
Please reach out to me via email if you have any questions about this Planning Application or the process for Ministerial Planning Permits ([email protected]).

21/10/2026

2 RIVER STREET, RICHMOND - CALL TO ACTION
You can help by contacting your elected representatives and let them know that you want this land to remain in community hands.
Please support Council's advocacy calling for the State government to release the land at 2 River Street to Council.
We've made it easy by creating these two letter templates that you can use to write to candidates for the seats of Richmond and Northern Metropolitan Region and the Minister for Finance. You can access instructions and a template on the Yarra Decides webpage below:
https://www.facebook.com/share/r/14v85AxxV8K/

15/10/2026

NOTICE OF MOTION – CREATING SAFER PLACES GRANTS – VICTORIA STREET CORRIDOR
The usual suspects have gone on the offensive, attacking me for how I voted. I provided a very clear explanation as to why I voted against Councillor Meca Ho’s Notice of Motion. I am very happy to stand on my own record. The relevant section of the recording can be accessed here:
https://www.youtube.com/live/On2qtHQIY_g?si=EQbEQf1J7bZgLzAX&t=9525
The CEO’s advice during the Council Meeting is that the proposal for Council to apply for funding for CCTV cameras through an application for the Creating Safer Spaces grant scheme would be inconsistent with the Victoria Street Revitalisation Plan.
The CEO is correct. The Victoria Street Revitalisation Plan states that Council would advocate for ‘the installation of police operated CCTV cameras on Victoria Street between Church and Hoddle Street, and on Lennox Street between Elizabeth and Victoria Street’ (see screenshot below).
It is worth going back and reviewing the background to Council’s advocacy priorities as set out in the Victoria Street Revitalisation Plan. Priority 1 iii) did not come out of nowhere. It was added to the Plan through an amendment that was moved by Councillors Eva Aston and Meca Ho at the Council Meeting on 11 August 2026 (see screenshot below).
And finally, it is also worth mentioning that representatives of the Victoria Street Business Association, Mr Ha Nguyen and Mr Andrew Phu, and other Victoria Street Traders attended and made submissions at the Council Meeting when the Victoria Street Revitalization was adopted. They were therefore in attendance with Councillors Aston and Ho moved the amended motion.
On a side note, Councillor Davies left the room without explanation at 9.07pm when the discussion of Agenda Item 7.2 Victoria Street Revitalisation Plan commenced and only returned at 9.48pm after the vote was complete. Councillors Jolly, Aston, Ho, Harrison and Gomez voted in favour of the amended motion, while Councillors Wade and Crossland voted against the amended motion.
So, it appears that Councillor Ho brought his Notice of Motion because he was seeking a backdoor fix that would undermine Council’s stated position on the operation of CCTV cameras in the Victoria Street Revitalisation.
For the record, my concerns about Councillor’s Ho’s Notice of Motion Creating Safer Places Grants – CCTV Victoria Street Corridor are as follows:
• My primary concern was that the Notice of Motion was proposing that Council apply for a Creating Safer Places grant funding for the project that does not meet the criteria. As was highlighted by my questions at the Council Meeting, the rules of the Creating Safer Places funding scheme require that Council own and operate any CCTV that is funded. Council should not take on the responsibility of owning and operating the CCTV.
• As someone who works in research management, I have a very strong understanding of how grant schemes work. If you apply for the funding, you must comply with the rules of the grant scheme. If Council applied for the funding, it would be obliged to install and manage any CCTV cameras installed on Victoria Street. This would have involved significant ongoing work and cost for Council. I believe the requirements around CCTV would have been very onerous. This is simply another example of State government cost shifting onto Councils.
• And what about safety concerns in other parts of the municipality? Tragically, sixteen-year-old Ater Good was gunned down in a drive-by shooting near the intersection of Brunswick and King William streets in Fitzroy just after midnight on 3 January this year. Council is also undertaking a CPTED Study in Collingwood.
• I am becoming increasingly concerned about Councillors who are advocating aggressively for their Ward and do not seem to consider their obligation to consider the interests of the municipality as a whole. The firebombing on Victoria Street in July was devastating, impacting 10 businesses and numerous employees who lost their livelihoods. However, we have also had the firebombing of multiple to***co shops on Bridge Road, and a firebombing that has affected 3 businesses on St Georges Road in Fitzroy North only this week. We also heard from a Brunswick Street resident who received a warning from Victoria Police regarding an imminent threat to the flat where he lives. As a Councillor, I am required to represent the whole municipal community not just particular lobby groups, Activity Centres or just my own Ward.
With regards to submitting an application/s for the Creating Safer Places funding, I expect that Council Officers will prepare applications for this funding scheme. Victoria Police prepared a CPTED report that was funded by the North Richmond Precinct and Council has done CPTED work in Fitzroy, with another study underway for Collingwood.
I see no reason why Council would not apply for a grant for some of the CPTED work that Council has planned in North Richmond. Such a proposal would be eligible for the Creating Safer Places funding scheme and, given that the CPTED study has already been done by Victoria Police, I believe that Council would be able to make a strong case for the proposal. Council needs to prioritise the proposals that are most likely to be funded.
Unfortunately, Councillor Ho did not consult with other Councillors regarding his Notice of Motion. The first thing that I heard about the Notice of Motion is when the Council papers were publicly released on Wednesday last week. I had already been following up with Officers from early September when the issue of CCTV came up due to an enquiry from the Bridge Road Traders and I had been liaising with the Council Officers about the CCTV Policy that they are drafting. If Councillor Ho had consulted with other Councillors we would have been in a position to provide advice or assist with the drafting of the Notice of Motion and ensure that it had support.
I make no apology for voting against Councillor Ho's Notice of motion. This is not pontificating, it is acting with integrity and in line with my legal obligations as a Councillor.

28/09/2026

It has been widely reported in the media over the last couple of days that Richmond resident Jordan Yap has gone missing while hiking in Peru. Jordan's family and friends last had contact from him on 14 September 2026. They have launched a dedicated social media page:

334 Followers, 4 Following, 6 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Search for Jordan Yap ()

22/09/2026

BARKLY GARDENS PATH UPGRADE
Thank you to the residents who raised this issue with me. I am always keen receive feedback from residents about improvements that are needed. I advocated for this project to be included in Council's 2026/2027 budget and its great to see these renewal works completed.

14/09/2026

GOVERNANCE, TRANSPARENCY & DEMOCRACY AROUND PLANNING APPLICATIONS
I also brought a Notice of Motion highlighting concerns around Ministerial Planning Application approvals, advocating for changes to ensure improvements to governance, transparency and democracy.
This Notice of Motion was a joint effort with Councillor Edward Crossland who also started working on a Notice of Motion around these issues. The motion was passed unanimously. This is a reflection around the consensus among many Councillors around how Ministerial Planning approvals and serious concerns around governance and transparency.

14/09/2026

MANAGEMENT OF MAJOR CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS IN THE DOONSIDE, RIVERSIDE & VICTORIA GARDENS PRECINCT
At the last Council Meeting on 8 September 2026, I moved a Notice of Motion on managing the issues like traffic, parking and safety for residents around major construction projects. With over 2,000 apartments either under construction or planned, there will be multiple major projects underway across this precinct and it's vital that this is properly managed.
If you would like to provide feedback about issues you are already experiencing or are concerned will become a problem, please reach out to me via email ([email protected]) so that I can pass on this information to Council officers.
I would like to extend my thanks to the residents who waited long into the night at this very long Council Meeting to speak in support of this motion.

08/09/2026

PROPOSED NAME CHANGE FOR ADOLPH STREET IN CREMORNE
I spoke on the 3AW breakfast radio program this morning regarding the name change request that has been proposed by a group of community members in Cremorne.
This is on the Council Meeting agenda tonight. Officers have recommended that Council resolve not to proceed with a name change following feedback from Geographic Names Victoria.

A caller told the 3AW Breakfast Rumour File an inner-city Melbourne council would debate renaming a street on Tuesday night. Yarra deputy mayor Councillor Sharon Harrison told 3AW Breakfast hosts Ross Stevenson and Russel Howcroft the item was unlikely to be at the top of the agenda. Press PLAY to h...

26/08/2026

PLAYGROUND UPGRADE - GOLDEN SQUARE BICENTENNIAL PARK

It was my great pleasure to formally open the upgraded playground at Golden Square last Saturday.

The upgraded playground includes equipment for children of all ages and stages, as well as new mature trees and plantings.

If you haven't already visited, I thoroughly recommend checking it out.

The reaction of the children on Saturday said it all. My speech could barely be heard over the noise of all the children putting the new playground equipment to use.

A big thanks to everyone who worked hard to bring this project to fruition.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BegfT4DXK/

23/08/2026

MEGA-CITY MESS?

There is an article in The Age today on the topic of planning. Planners are rightly asking whether Labor’s pledge to halt urban sprawl will result in a mega-city mess?

The Planning Institute of Australia’s Victorian president Patrick Fensham says he is very disappointed that since 2023, fast-tracking housing approvals has been done “at the expense of good strategic planning and serious thinking about the future of Melbourne”.
On Plan for Victoria, Fensham adds: “Actually, it’s not a plan at all. It’s a statement about where you might like housing to go without an accompanying infrastructure plan.”

The approval of the Harry the Hirer development confirms that planners are right to be concerned about Labor’s Development Facilitation Program pathway that allows developers to bypass Councils and go directly to State Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny who can override the Local Planning Scheme. This is leading to very poor outcomes and Yarra’s will be paying the price in the future.
With regard to infrastructure, there are key examples of the lack of infrastructure.

The flood modelling released by Melbourne Water last year confirms that Glass Street in Richmond is a flooding hotspot. Council has been advocating for the Swan Street Main Drain to be upgraded for a long time, but Melbourne Water do not even have this work in their work plans for the next 5 years. We will be lucky if there is an upgrade in the next 10 years. The sum total of what Melbourne Water has done is to install one sensor in a drain to monitor water flow.

And what about the transport infrastructure for the thousands of apartments that are planned for the Victoria Gardens, Doonside and Riverside Precincts in Richmond? There’s no provision for this either. Anyone who travels on a tram on Bridge Road and Victoria Street in the morning and afternoon peaks knows that you can barely get on a tram. When will this be addressed?

Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny draws a policy battleline about our city’s future shape, as we investigate how and where to house Melbourne’s booming population by 2101.