Monash, Whitehorse and Kingston councils see answers over high-rise tower plans [Video]

Three angry Melbourne councils have warned they are being shut out of plans to build towers up to 40 storeys tall in their areas, as the state government seizes control of local planning laws around the new Suburban Rail Loop stations.

The councils – Monash, Whitehorse and Kingston – say the rail loop will reshape their suburbs yet the government is refusing to release even basic details about the drastic increase in housing and development around the SRL East’s six underground stations.

The state government says its flagship $34.5 billion underground train line between Cheltenham and Box Hill will open by 2035 and lead to more than 70,000 new homes and 230,000 permanent jobs around the new stations by the 2050s.

In April, the Suburban Rail Loop Authority (SRLA) released “key directions”for new planning rules that will apply in precincts stretching 1.6 kilometres from each stop. Buildings between …