PLANS for a 250-home residential estate in Dromana have cleared a major federal environmental hurdle despite ongoing concerns over the destruction of endangered swamp skink habitat.
The Commonwealth Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water has approved the proposed subdivision and development of land at 170 Boundary Rd and 62 Collins Rd under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. This approval allows for the removal of 17.09 hectares of habitat used by the endangered swamp skink.
The approval is subject to conditions, including environmental offsets at an approved site in Loch Sport.
This decision comes after much debate over the project, which proposes rezoning the land from Low Density Residential to Neighbourhood Residential and subdividing it into 250 residential lots, alongside a 6.99 hectare onsite conservation reserve.
The swamp skink was formally listed as endangered under the EPBC Act in March 2023, which brought the development under the assessment of the Federal Environment Minister.
Mornington Peninsula Shire councillors previously backed a submission urging the federal government to treat the development as a “controlled action”, arguing the scale of habitat loss required close environmental assessment (Development faces review to protect swamp skinks, The News 12/03/25).
Councillors supported an environmental submission to ensure the endangered lizard species be acknowledged federally. Council noted the need for additional housing but expressed concern around the removal of 75 per cent of the site’s swamp skink habitat, the overall net loss of biodiversity and vegetation on the peninsula, and the long-term risks posed by human and pet disturbance to the species (Council endorses submission to protect Swamp Skinks, The News 25/02/26).
The shire’s Director of Planning and Liveability Andrew Pomeroy said the council was disappointed its request to retain more habitat within a 1.81 hectare drainage and landscape reserve was not supported in federal approval.
“However, we are pleased to see the proposed 6.99 hectare conservation reserve has been accepted,” said Pomeroy.
“While we urgently need more affordable housing on the peninsula, biodiversity loss remains an ongoing concern. It is a constant challenge to find the right balance between these competing priorities.”
“The proposed rezoning and subdivision of this land is in the very early stages and has not gone through the full planning assessment and approval process under Victorian law. So, the final subdivision plan is yet to be confirmed.”
The combined amendment and permit application still requires separate approval under the Victorian Planning and Environmental Act 1987 and remains with the Minister for Planning awaiting authorisation to proceed to public exhibition.
Shire officers will liaise with the Department of Transport and Planning to determine the next steps for authorisation as the original authorisation request was lodged in 2021 and may need to be updated.
First published in the Mornington News – 19 May 2026
