Neighbours have been shocked to discover an unannounced rooming house is being built in their leafy Dandenong street.
Without notification or even a planning permit, the first warning of the approved double-storey building at 2A Besley Street was the pouring of its concrete slab next to an adjoining fence.
Its building permit was approved by a private surveyor, rather than Greater Dandenong Council.
Since October 2018, this planning-permit exemption has been set under State Government regulations.
It exempts rooming houses up to 300 square metres, 12 residents and nine bedrooms in all residential zones in Greater Dandenong.
According to the government, rooming houses deliver affordable housing to vulnerable residents.
They improve the residents’ social inclusion, mobility and access to jobs.
However, neighbours are gobsmacked that they have not been allowed a say or even notified.
“What’s going to happen here is it’s going to bring down the value of the area?” says neighbour Sharon who says the project doesn’t suit the up-market area.
“We’ve got no rights at all. It’s like we don’t matter. It’s not even in the council’s hands anymore.
“It seems this is the new way to go – no one’s safe.”
Mayor Jim Memeti was hosting an information session for residents on 1 September.
“Sometimes rooming houses are run well, sometimes they’re not.
“I feel for the residents. It’s one of the best streets in Dandenong.”
There are 119 registered rooming houses in Greater Dandenong, according to a Consumer Affairs Victoria website. This is up from about 98 six years ago.
The South East is Melbourne’s rooming house hotspot with 291 in Monash, 119 in Whitehorse and 79 in Casey.
Other parts of Melbourne such as Brimbank have less than 50, Yarra less than 30 and Kingston less than 10.
Councillor Rhonda Garad says too many are concentrated in Greater Dandenong, creating social tensions, troubles and police callouts.
“Dandenong is turning into one big rooming house.
“The developers are coming for the cheaper land, which is attracting the homeless from other areas of Melbourne and exacerbating our problems.
“Why isn’t there a standard number for each council area?”
Greater Dandenong city futures executive director Sanjay Manivasagasivam says if developers meet the exemptions, they only require a building permit issued by a private building surveyor.
“This means no planning permit is needed in these instances and no public notification is carried out.
“Council understands the community’s concerns and is reviewing this matter to ensure it conforms with the relevant state set exemptions.”
A State Government spokesperson said the exemptions apply to “small-scale rooming houses to help provide more accommodation for Victorians at risk of homelessness”.
As of July, there were 74 actively-homeless people listed in Greater Dandenong. Of them, 46 were sleeping rough.
