DUST, noise, blocked traffic and even private fences being pulled down are among the complaints stemming from a large residential subdivision in Mount Eliza.
Mornington Peninsula Shire Council is urging people who have concerns about the subdivision works at 19-43 Wooralla Drive to contact them, as it investigates claims about noise and refers dust complaints to the Environment Protection Authority.
The eight-hectare block opposite Peninsula Grammar is being developed into around 34 blocks of between 875 to 2651square metres.
One nearby resident, who did not want to be named, said the vegetation removal and other associated subdivision work had been “a nightmare” for residents for more than 12 months, with dirt and rubble everywhere and large machinery creating “intolerable” noise for people living next to it.
Another resident abutting the development said she came home three weeks ago to find workers had ripped out her fence, without any consideration for her pets or the family’s safety.
“Disgusting behaviour from the developer and fencing contractor, how dare they put us in this stressful and unsafe environment,” she said.
The permit for the development was approved at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal in 2021 despite objections from several residents and the Peninsula Grammar across the road.
The development is within the coveted Woodland area, which was originally developed with the theme of large blocks within a woodland setting.
But residents should brace for more construction chaos on the peninsula, as the state government plans to loosen planning controls and fast-track development approval in what is likely to be a bonanza for builders.
Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny recently promised to promote development in established suburbs as a way of preventing urban sprawl into greenfield sites, after acknowledging the government had failed to meet its own target of directing 70 per cent of housing growth to established areas.
Municipal councils fear state government’s moves to grab power over local planning decisions in a bid to provide an extra million homes by 2050 will be disastrous for local amenity.
Cr David Gill has been an outspoken critic of plans to weaken council planning powers and said any change that would remove much of the statutory planning decisions from councils came with big risks to neighbourhood character.
The mayor Cr Steve Holland said the high-profile Ryman case in Mount Eliza helped demonstrate the powers of the state government and the VCAT when “unelected” tribunal members could overrule a unanimous council decision.
First published in the Mornington News – 9 May 2023
