• Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Local History
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • About Us
  • Subscribe
  • Read Our Newspapers Online
    • Read the Latest Western Port News
    • Read the Latest Mornington News
    • Read the Latest Southern Peninsula News
    • Read the Latest Frankston Times
    • Read the Latest Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News
  • Competition
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Trending
  • Mornington get first win over Tyabb in 107 years
  • Election picks linger for Liberals and Labor
  • Wakkakiri next week
  • Donations help land, sea projects
  • D-day looms large for local clubs
  • Wild weather strikes, finals fixtures locked in
  • The publisher of ‘The Standard’ stands for council
  • New sculpture to bloom in Love Flower’s place
Facebook Twitter
MPNEWSMPNEWS
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Local History
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • About Us
  • Subscribe
MPNEWSMPNEWS
Home»News»Old case shows Seat ‘liable to landslip’
News

Old case shows Seat ‘liable to landslip’

By David HarrisonAugust 24, 2015Updated:August 31, 2015No Comments3 Mins Read
All downhill: The old chairlift corridor on the north face of Arthurs Seat, which will be substantially widened and cleared for the new gondola. Picture: Yanni
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

ANALYSIS

All downhill: The old chairlift corridor on the north face of Arthurs Seat, which will be substantially widened and cleared for the new gondola. Picture: Yanni
All downhill: The old chairlift corridor on the north face of Arthurs Seat, which will be substantially widened and cleared for the new gondola. Picture: Yanni

THE north face of Arthurs Seat has extremely unstable soil vulnerable to landslip and erosion, a 1990 planning tribunal hearing was told in an appeal against the then Shire of Flinders’ refusal to allow a house to be built on the precipitous slope.

The locality had been given the top rating of 5 – “severe risk of adverse effects to land and/or water is always present” – as an area of erosion hazard by Victoria’s Soil Conservation Authority (SCA) in 1983, the tribunal stated in its decision.

This was “because of the extreme gradients (20-65 per cent), shallow soils and rainfall (average 900mm a year)”, the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT), forerunner of VCAT, said in upholding the shire refusal.

The unsuccessful site, in Tower Hill Rd, is just north of the corridor along which Skylift’s gondolas will travel a kilometre from the summit to the lower station near Dromana cemetery. It is believed to have been incorporated into the state park.

At their meeting a fortnight ago on 10 August Mornington Peninsula Shire councillors approved “removal, lopping or pruning” of up to 82 trees along the corridor.

Residents are concerned that the corridor, with a width of 40 metres – nearly as wide as the length of two cricket pitches – could be so disturbed by work on trees that it will be vulnerable to flooding and that sudden storms could strip away soil and rocks on the slope.

They say that heavy rain already sends water and debris flooding over Arthurs Seat Rd in several places, even though vegetation along the corridor has recovered well since the old chairlift stopped operating in 2006.

VCAT had approved removal or pruning of 26 trees, but Skylift says at least 39 trees must be removed. Ten will be retained, the council was told, and the rest will be re-examined when the project is finished.

The 1990 case was told that the steep land was “not suitable for onsite disposal of effluent and … any type of septic system would be difficult to install” because of the terrain. Run-off is not permitted: all effluent must be contained on the land.

The AAT accepted shire evidence that the CFA placed the land in the “very high hazard” category on fire maps.

A Department of Conservation and Environment witness said the site, “because of its steep slopes, sandy soils and high rainfall has a severe erosion risk, which would be exacerbated by excavation for houses, driveways and other works”.

A department officer had reassessed the SCA survey and confirmed the site’s unsuitability for development.

In a “prequel” of the case conducted by anti-gondola lobby group Save Our Seat, the department argued that the landscape value of Arthurs Seat would be affected by approval of the planned house “because of the height of the dwelling and the fact that the escarpment has been registered by the National Trust”.

“Furthermore, Arthurs Seat’s importance is recognised in the [then Labor] State Government’s Draft Plan for the two bays [Port Phillip and Western Port].”

Dromana resident Len Warfe stressed at the AAT hearing the need to protect the escarpment from development. He agreed that run-off down the steep slope was a serious problem.

First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 25 August 2015

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email

Related Posts

Door opens for comfort

August 15, 2022

Dogs reduced

August 15, 2022

Sharing the bay with dolphins

August 15, 2022

Jetty closed for repairs

August 15, 2022
Add A Comment

Comments are closed.

Weather
Aug 17, 2022 - Wed
Mornington, Australia
9°C
overcast clouds
overcast clouds
4 m/s, WNW
75%
763.57 mmHg
wed08/17 thu08/18 fri08/19 sat08/20 sun08/21
light rain
13/13°C
moderate rain
13/10°C
moderate rain
11/10°C
light rain
11/8°C
few clouds
10/10°C
Peninsula Essence Magazine

Click here to read

July 25, 2022
Peninsula Kids Magazine

Click here to read

May 26, 2022
Council Watch

Shire ‘committed’ to aged care

August 8, 2022

Shire not forced to drop aged care services

August 1, 2022
State Elections 2022

Election picks linger for Liberals and Labor

August 16, 2022

‘Justice’ for animals and climate

August 8, 2022

Peta Murphy wins second term in Dunkley

May 23, 2022
Interview

All aboard for murder mystery

July 25, 2022
Property of the Week

14 Lynch Court, Mt Martha

July 26, 2022
100 Years Ago This Week

The publisher of ‘The Standard’ stands for council

August 16, 2022
Contact
Street: 63 Watt Road, Mornington, 3931
Mailing: PO Box 588, Hastings, 3915
Menu
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Local History
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • About Us
  • Subscribe
About

Established in 2006, Mornington Peninsula News Group (MPNG) is a locally owned and operated, independent media company.

MPNG publishes five weekly community newspapers: the Western Port News, Mornington News, Southern Peninsula News, Frankston Times and Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News.

MPNG also publishes two glossy magazines: Peninsula Essence and Peninsula Kids.

Facebook Twitter
© 2022 Mornington Peninsula News Group.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.