by Cam Lucadou-Wells
Works at an allegedly asbestos-contaminated soil mound in Bangholme’s Green Wedge have been shut down after several alleged permit breaches.
On 28 November, EPA Victoria and Greater Dandenong City Council announced “all works relating to its earthworks permit cease immediately” at the 576 Frankston Dandenong Road site.
This includes ceasing the transfer of fill to the site, the joint statement said.
The soil mound is about 400 metres south of 500-plus residents at Willow Lodge retirement village.
Several neighbours have called for an immediate halt to the near-daily dumping of soil for months. They alerted Star Journal to works shutting down as early as Friday 22 November.
In recent months, the EPA had issued two notices to the operator during its investigation of alleged soil contamination, including toxic asbestos and heavy metals.
The council also recently stated it was taking action due to a breach of the earthworks planning permit.
But it had recently been insisting the property owner and contractors were “continuing to follow directions.”
Neighbours had claimed that soil mounds towering up to several metres.
This was well above the waist-high height limit – up to 1.063 metres – initially sought by the proponent at a VCAT hearing in 2022.
Residents also claim the earthworks have moved to a new paddock – which is outside the permit area.
In August, the EPA had issued a notice to investigate a towering soil stockpile with alleged Category-D “low-level contamination” with toxic asbestos and heavy metals.
This was in alleged breach of the operator’s EPA licence to accept clean-fill soil only.
It ordered the operator to “cordon off” the pile and remove the affected soil to a licensed landfill.
Late last month, the EPA issued a second Non-Disturbance notice over a second waste pile containing a “small amount of construction and demolition waste”.
Some fragments were being sampled and analysed for potential asbestos.
EPA has continued to state there’s no risk to public health.
“With the low level of asbestos contamination detected and the long distance to the nearest homes, EPA’s public health experts do not consider there is a risk to public health,” the joint statement on 28 November said.
“As this is an ongoing investigation, and due to privacy legislation, further details on the planning breaches cannot be shared at this time.”
In July, the Star Journal reported on a certified environmental assessor’s report that raised the alarm on several pieces of asbestos found in four different areas of the mound as well as high levels of the heavy-metal, lead.
It recommended that the “category B industrial waste” should be transported to a lawful disposal place.
It also recommended testing to check for lead leaching into the area’s groundwater as well as a thorough audit and removal of asbestos contamination.
Eastern Seaboard Industries (ESI) is said to be leasing the site and managing the soil mound.
