Kingston Council will launch legal action against a development plan for 941 dwellings on the former Kingswood Golf Course in Dingley Village.
The council will seek a review by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) of the State Government-approved plan.
Kingston Mayor Georgina Oxley said this was the council’s “final opportunity to push for the major improvements the community deserves”.
“We understand the land has been rezoned but this is a once-in-a-generation redevelopment that will permanently change the fabric of Dingley Village.”
On 18 October, residents groups and the council were outraged as Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny announced the plan’s approval.
For more than a decade, Kingston, local MPs and groups such as Save Kingswood had rallied against what they feared would be overdevelopment of the 53-hectare greenfield site.
Kilkenny said the new Satterley Property Group estate would unlock 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.”
“While some refinements have been made, many of Council’s key concerns remain unresolved.
“This review is intended to secure the best possible outcomes for our community — to make sure this development is sustainable and supported by the right infrastructure.”
Kingston’s concerns include the design and ownership of key infrastructure, guidelines for new housing, traffic impacts, the loss of native vegetation, the creation of “genuine affordable housing”,
and the form and links into public open spaces and the Dingley Village Primary School and shopping centre.
“Council and the community have invested years in trying to get this right,” Cr Oxley said.
“We’ve put forward our submission in good faith to the State Government and the developer to achieve a balanced outcome, but there are still fundamental issues that need to be addressed.
“With so much at stake, we owe it to our community to make sure local planning and infrastructure needs are not forgotten.”
Cr Oxley said the council had a “very significant” track record in working with the State Government to plan and provide permits for housing.
“Our goal has always been clear — any development on this site must deliver lasting benefits for local residents and protect the character and liveability of Dingley Village.
“This review is about making sure the plan delivers on that promise.”
Developer Satterley Property Group’s plan spans across 15 stages, including 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.
Save Kingswood Group president Kevin Poulter said the VCAT action was “a step in the right direction, challenging the Government’s lack of democracy”.
“(The Government) rubber-stamped the worst development in Melbourne’s history.”
