THE state government has backed Mornington Peninsula Shire Council’s efforts to protect eight green wedge parcels of land.
The C270morn amendment, which has been waiting for Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny’s stamp of approval since last year, will see the rezoning of eight parcels of land outside the Urban Growth Boundary and fix irregularities in the Mornington Peninsula planning scheme.
The amendment affects 10 sites across Mornington, Mount Eliza, Mount Martha, Portsea and Shoreham.
Leigh Eustace, a member of the Green Wedges Coalition and spokesperson for Save Reg’s Wedge – a grass roots group that unsuccessfully fought to prevent the development of land at 60 to 70 Kunyung Road, Mount Eliza – said while the approval was good news “from a green wedge point of view”, it was too late to save the Kunyung Road site from being developed into aged care and private residential units.
The group wanted the 8.9-hectare site rezoned from special use to green wedge and was hoping the C270morn amendment would be approved before the development was given the go ahead by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal late last year.
The council was also disappointed with the minister’s decision not to rezone the Ryman Healthcare site at 60-70 Kunyung Road, Mount Eliza to green wedge zone.
South East Water land at 50A McGregor Avenue, Mount Martha will also not be included in the amendment. The property is adjacent to the Hearn Road Bay Park Scout Camp which council had resolved to remove from the amendment at its 31 October 2022 planning services committee meeting. Kilkenny said any future review of zoning for the two sites should be conducted concurrently.
The mayor Cr Steve Holland said council wanted to protect the peninsula’s “highly valued” green wedge from inappropriate development.
The following sites outside the urban growth boundary will be re-zoned from the special use zone schedule 2 (SUZ2) to either green wedge zone schedule 3 (GWZ3), public conservation and resource zone (PCRZ) or public park and recreation zone (PPRZ):
- The foreshore reserve next to 60–70 Kunyung Road, Mount Eliza (does not include the aged care centre site).
- Mornington Golf Course, Tallis Drive, Mornington.
- Portsea Golf Course, London Bridge Road, Portsea.
- Manyung Recreation Camp, Sunnyside Road, Mount Eliza.
- Point Nepean National Park Point Nepean Road, Portsea.
- Marine Parade, Shoreham (Mentone Grammar School).
- Padua Catholic College, Oakbank Road, Mornington (two sites).
First published in the Mornington News – 19 September 2023
