By Casey Neill
“Just how high will Mount Springvale be?”
Andrew Nugent lives near the former Clarke Road landfill in Springvale South and asked the question at the Monday 29 January Greater Dandenong Council meeting.
He said he’d lived in the area for 12 months and large trucks had been “pounding their way along Springvale Road” daily.
“The road near the corner of Clarke Road had to be resurfaced due to damage caused,” he said.
“The amount of dirt is now covering the entire length of Rowan Road and higher than the two storey homes across the street.
“I do not mind that the tip is being filled to create parkland but just how high will Mount Springvale be?
“Enough is enough.”
Mr Nugent also said he was worried about the types of dirt being dumped, and drainage issues in the event of a large storm.
City planning, design and amenity director Jody Bosman said the council would pass Mr Nugent’s complaint onto the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) with a request to make contact.
He said the EPA had direct control over the works rather than the council.
“As to the truck movements, a request has previously been placed with VicRoads’s traffic safety officers to place the site on their watch list,” Mr Bosman said.
“I can confirm that since February 2017, truck movements have been randomly inspected by VicRoads’s traffic safety officers and action taken where necessary.”
The EPA’s southern metro manager, Marleen Mathias, said the Clarke Road site became an unlined landfill in the late 1970s.
It operated under an EPA licence from 1982 and closed in 2003.
Ms Mathias said the Clarke Road Developments owned from 168 to 222 Clarke Road and ESG Dingley owns the remainder, from 98 to 100.
“Current works primarily relate to rehabilitation works, including the placement of material to shape the landfill to final contours,” she said.
She said the works were to be completed by the end of the year, and would make the land suitable for use as open space and ensure water could effectively drain from the site.
“The current owners are required to minimise impacts on the local residents during rehabilitation and also as part of ongoing management of the site,” she said.
“EPA will continue to monitor compliance.
“EPA has a planned inspection this week with the council representatives to assess progress at the site.”
Ms Mathias said the EPA had not recently received any pollution reports.
She urged residents impacted by noise, dust or odour or other pollution to call the EPA on 1300 EPA VIC or email contact@epa.vic.gov.au.
