By Cam Lucadou-Wells
Greater Dandenong Council has slammed a lack of detail in a major housing development proposal at the former Southvale Primary School in Noble Park.
The project by Metricon-backed developer MET Communities Pty Ltd is being fast-tracked as part of the State Government’s Inclusionary Housing Pilot program on surplus public land.
Any future planning permits for the 23,000 square-metre site at 30-40 Athol Road would be decided by the state Planning Minister, with the council sidelined to a consulting role.
There would be no third party rights for the public to make submissions or to appeal the Minister’s decision.
The council was in favour of housing on the site but had “significant concerns” about the details at a Government Land Standing Advisory Committee hearing on 7 July.
The committee is considering a proposal to rezone the site for housing and to apply a Development Plan Overlay (DPO) as part of Planning Amendment C240gdan.
The hearing was the last chance for the public to have a say on the project.
In its submission, the council stated the DPO lacked detail on inclusionary housing levels, traffic impacts and potential site contamination from underground petrol tanks.
Environmentally sustainable design, tree protection, public open space, Aboriginal cultural heritage and stormwater management on the flood-prone site also required more detail, according to the council.
The need for detail was “particularly important… given that third party notice and appeal rights do not apply … and the council is not the Responsible Authority for the Subject Land”, Greater Dandenong stated.
“The lack of detail … means there is no certainty as to the nature of the proposed use or development.”
The Inclusionary Housing Pilot scheme purports to create a “mix of social, affordable and market housing” including 100 new social housing homes at Athol Road and five other sites across Melbourne.
But the unspecified number of social housing homes at Athol Road was “unacceptable”, the council argued.
“This uncertainty is unacceptable in light of the identified need for social and affordable housing within the Greater Dandenong community and the purposes of the inclusionary housing pilot project.
“Without this clearly specified in the planning control, Council is concerned that the land could be sold off and developed for market housing.”
Anthony Scarpaci, a planner representing MET Communities, told the hearing the unspecified social and community housing numbers were a “deliberate design feature” of the IHP.
He argued that publicly mandating a percentage of community housing would risk identifying vulnerable residents – though he conceded it was not a high risk.
Other mechanisms, such as the Greater Dandenong Planning Scheme, could mandate social housing levels, Mr Scarpaci said.
MET’s consulting arborist identified 127 trees on the site. Eight were assessed as high retention value and 37 as medium value.
The indicative public open space would utilize the mass of large trees at the north.
The nearest parklands are at Noble Park Reserve and the Alex Wilkie Nature Reserve and Alex Nelson Reserve in Springvale South.
Its environmental consultant reported the site was not a “high potential for contamination”, with the three underground petrol tanks on site having been removed.
Some of the resultant trenches were backfilled with asbestos-filled soil, which had also been removed.
Greater Dandenong argued it was still uncertain if the site was contaminated and suitable for “sensitive uses” like housing.
Committee member Michael Ballock noted the DPO’s concept map was “essentially a road lay-out” that didn’t show the nature of development.
“This is the first and last opportunity for members of the public and potentially the council can make comment on it.
“Do you think they’re helped by the indicative concept plan?
“How would (neighbouring residents) know how they are going to be impacted by this site?”
Mr Scarpaci replied that residents “should be comforted” that there are two applications to be submitted under the planning scheme.
The state’s planning department would engage in a “sort of soft referral process” with the council on “potential conditions”, he said.
Resident Gaye Guest told the hearing that MET’s “lack of transparency” treated the hearing with “disdain”.
In recent years, the same “small pocket” of Greater Dandenong had lost six schools while population soared. In the meantime, a push to turn Sandown Racecourse into a housing estate was one of the “elephants in the room”.
She preferred the site to be retained as open space or for a school.
“We are here because our State Government is bankrupt and trying desperately to grab at slim pickings to balance their books, and so-called experts are plunging … CGD into squalor.”
Resident Nicholas Deal submitted that the amendment failed to address Noble Park’s under-supply of open space.
