Kingston Council has vowed to “fight every step of the way”, as it lashed out against the State Government’s approval of 941 homes on the former Kingswood Golf Course.
Mayor Georgina Oxley said the council and Dingley Village community were “angered and deeply disappointed” by the announcement on 18 October.
“More than 1,400 residents took the time to make submissions. They were ignored.
“The Government’s own advisory processes identified serious concerns. They were dismissed.”
Kingston will demand a binding infrastructure contributions package to reflect the “real cost” of supporting thousands of new residents and mitigating flood impacts, Cr Oxley said.
“This decision may have been made in Spring Street, but the consequences will be felt in Kingston for generations.
“We will continue to fight for our community every step of the way.”
Developer Satterley Property Group’s plan spans across 15 stages on the 53-hectare site.
The project includes 10 per cent “affordable housing”, 20 per cent public open space, hundreds of trees retained and thousands planted, according to the government.
A sporting and community centre would also be built.
On 18 October, Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny celebrated the unlocking of more housing in the region.
“We’re unlocking underutilised land to deliver more homes and create new opportunities for people in Melbourne’s south-east,” Kilkenny stated.
“The only way to make housing fairer for young Victorians is to build more homes faster – this is exactly why we’ve been overhauling our planning system because the status quo is not an option.”
However, Cr Oxley said allowing 941 new homes on the site was “just reckless” after “our community has made their concerns abundantly clear for years”.
The concerns included flooding, traffic “chaos”, pressure on schools, sports facilities and health services, the loss of mature trees and open space, and the “complete loss of local character”, she said.
“Let’s be clear – this is not just another development.
“This is a fundamental transformation of an established suburb that was never planned to absorb this scale of growth.”
A fierce public campaign had been waged against development on the course since 2014. State and federal MPs from both Labor and Liberal parties have sided with Kingston and residents’ opposition.
Save Kingswood Group president Kevin Poulter said “Dingley Village is in shock” at the approval of “the worst possible extreme-development insane plan”.
He slammed the State Government for being “hell-bent on destroying Dingley Village”.
“More important to Labor is the panic to meet their over-stated housing numbers for all of Melbourne.
“If a treed, open space is near you, residents look out – they are in your sights.”
