A Win and a Loss

A WIN

The campaign to save Knoxfield from developers has moved up a notch with a win from Knox City Council. At its meeting last Tuesday council refused a permit for the development of No 44 Kathryn Road. This means that the application will in all probability go to VCAT for a decision.

A LOSS

Have you seen the destruction of No 75 Kathryn Road to development.
Here's a video taken with the previous owner's permission of the front garden.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2WM6UCHrkE

And here's a photo after the clearing of the block last week.

So much for the "Green and leafy image of Knox" so often mentioned in Knox City Council's policies. How this development was passed we have no idea! There are many questions to be asked about this development as plans were continually unavailable to residents during the application process. This action calls into doubt the application process .

To date some residents have met with Shaun Leane, State Upper House member for this area and a meeting is currently being set up with Kim Wells and Matthew Guy, the Opposition Planning Spokesperson. It seems that questions need to be asked in parliament, to stop this terrible destruction of our environment, just to make some people very wealthy.

Planning Consultative Meeting for No 40 Kathryn Road

 Tonight the Planning Consultative Meeting for No 40 Kathryn Road was conducted at the council offices and attended by The Mayor, Jim Penna, Cr Debbie Field, planning staff, the developer, and approximately 20 objectors. Unfortunately the meeting was controlled so rigidly I think the Mayor was afraid it might get out of hand. Other PCC meetings have been much more relaxed and offered everyone the opportunity to speak and question closely. The Mayor has made it known that he doesn’t want Knoxfield residents interfering in the State Planning Laws.

David Chaney, Peter Shearman, Ian Simpson, Margaret Oaten, Joyce Ward and Jeanette Spencer addressed issues concerning residents. The developer tried to counter our arguments concerning Rescodes, over-development, infrastructure, safety issues, rubbish bin collections, additional traffic on Kathryn Road and car parking implications caused by the development. The developer gave us the impression he wasn’t willing to negotiate any changes, even though he said he’d discuss a reduction in dwellings with the owner. At the close of the meeting Cr Debbie Field addressed the issues of concern that were not covered by the speakers for the residents. She stated the importance of trees and open space for the mental well being of residents and surveys showing 80% of motorists speed along Kathryn Road.

Most Knoxfield residents are not against development, but over-development as this planning application demonstrates. Developments that meet the neighborhood character and retain trees would be welcomed. A maximum of six dwellings on this site would retain high canopy trees and support the unique character of Knoxfield.

Council will consider the development at No 44 Kathryn Road at it’s meeting next Tuesday 23^rd September at 7.30pm. This business should be over by 8.30, so come along and show council the residents of Knoxfield don’t want over-development and wish to retain our high canopy trees.

Knoxfield Planning Issues

 Planning Issues in Knoxfield.

 

Cr Mick Van de Vreede along with Cr Debbie Field have both been active in their support of Knoxfield residents in their fight against over-development, especially double storey townhouses. Both played a critical part in developing the Knox Housing Policy of 2007 and have stated quite unequivocally that they got it wrong concerning the 400 metre distance from Neighborhood Activity Centres for medium/high density development. They have stated they did not realize the impact this would have on village type neighborhoods like Knoxfield. Thus Cr Mick Van de Vreede moved the call-up item for Cr Debbie Field in her absence at the August Council Meeting. If council’s report supports the move to alter the Knox Housing Policy of 2007 and have it approved by the Minister for Planning for inclusion in the Melbourne 2030 Planning Policy it will alleviate the impact of this medium/high density housing in Knoxfield and in Kathryn Road in particular. I’m confident council’s report will support this move. This call-up item is the result of much lobbying by David Chaney and myself.

 

Combined with this call-up item is also the report being drawn up by council for an earlier call-up item by Cr Debbie Field to look at “preserving the unique character of Knoxfield’s high canopy indigenous trees”. Each development includes the removal of trees, as in No 75 Kathryn Road, where development has just commenced.

Last Friday representatives of Knoxfield residents, Irene Fullerton, Irene Kelly, David Chaney and Ian Simpson, met with Shaun Leane MP Legislative Council, to brief him of our concerns and he recommended that a “Moratorium on Development in Knoxfield” be applied until Knox City Council completes its study of the “unique character of Knoxfield’s trees”. Shaun Leane said he would make an appointment with Justin Madden, Minister for Planning, this week to recommend his course of action. The residents were delighted with this recommendation, as it will provide some breathing space from the constant barrage of planning applications being submitted to council for the Knoxfield area. This pressure has been constant since April when we were first alerted to the impending developments.

 

Residents will be aware, though, that a Planning Consultative Meeting is to be held for the development at No 40 Kathryn Road on the 16^th September and No 44 Kathryn development will be considered by council at its September 23^rd meeting. Residents are appreciative of the opportunity provided by Knox City Council to object to developments and to provide constructive criticism at the Planning Consultative Committee Meetings. This does not occur in many councils across Victoria.

 

Melbourne 2030 and its lack of foresight in planning is the major cause of the problems in Knoxfield. The effect of the 400 metre medium/high density development zone around Neighborhood Shopping Centres is the direct cause of the planned developments in Knoxfield. Policy developers just looked at a solution to a problem without considering the impact of that policy and how it could devastate a community. Lack of planning to upgrade 1960’s infrastructure has resulted in power blackouts caused by a transformer not coping with the load on cold mornings. Drainage and sewerage problems are a constant problem as is the water pressure. The older suburbs, ill planned as they were in the 1960s, just cannot cope with the demand placed upon them by a large increase in the population. Other issues include Knoxfield Shopping Centre being included as a Neighborhood Activity Centre, which is the smallest of those listed in the Knox Housing Statement 2007, it doesn’t have the transport facilities of the others named and doesn’t even have traffic lights controlling entry to the centre for cars and pedestrian traffic. Other centres like Wellington Village, Rowville Lakes, Studfield and Knox Gardens are larger, have greater services, traffic lights and much better public transport services.

 

Other Melbourne 2030 issues that are of concern are the restrictions placed on planners in relation to planning applications:

• Planning applications must be considered in isolation, even when neighboring properties both have planning applications which would result in an additional 21 houses.
• Rescodes are only guidelines and are not prescriptive
• “Vegetation Overlay 3” does little to protect the indigenous high canopy trees
• Restrictive timelines imposed upon the council to make decisions, and
• The repetitive nature of residents needing to object to each planning application when similar arguments apply to all applications.

 

Knoxfield indigenous canopy trees are being removed

Soon most of the indigenous canopy trees at number 75 Kathryn Rd will be gone. Most would be 80 to 90 years old.

While this property has a very long story (more on that to come later) I would like to tell you that there is a Cinnamon Wattle (Acacia leprosa) in the front garden. (See video below.)

Under the Vegetation Protection Overlay 3 on this property none of the under-story or any trees that are not covered by the VPO 3 can be counted so they can be off-set somewhere else. This is a tragic loss in the wildlife food corridor to Egan Lee Reserve.

About the Acacia leprosa:

"Federation Flower for Victoria

Acacia leprosa (Cinnamon Wattle - red flowered form)

Scarlet Blaze

Newly Discovered Wattle Becomes Victoria's Federation Floral Emblem

Scarlet Blaze, one of the twentieth century's most surprising and significant horticultural discoveries is Victoria's Centenary of Federation floral emblem.

The blood-red variety of the Cinnamon Wattle (Acacia leprosa) was found growing in a Victorian forest in 1995 by two bush walkers. They took cuttings to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne, which manages a specialised plant conservation program, thereby saving many plants from probable extinction."

The Knox City Council are planning to spend money to educate residents to plant more trees and native vegetation. The purpose of my posts will be visually educate the Council just what is happening in special areas like Knoxfield.

Now residents have realised that their area is being destroyed they are fighting to save it. In the 10 years we have had canopy tree protection much of it has been removed. We can't allow this to continue.

Regardless of what the experts say we know there is a big problem. Many of us are trying to keep our plants alive but, with shade vanishing, the area is becoming hotter. There are big changes in the native bird population.

Large habitat trees clean the air, store carbon and generally make you feel better. They are the lungs of the Urban area. They bring much needed rain.

Victoria has one of the worst records for loss of wildlife and plants.

More people are dying from the effects of heat than ever before.

Australia has the highest rate of skin cancer in the world.

Australia's climate is one of the world's driested.

And developers want to concrete much of Knoxfield contributing to climate change.

We say NO.

Enjoy the video.

Press Release from Peter

 Look what they’ve done to my suburb Ma! (with apologies to Melanie Safka)

With the backing of the Victorian State Government, developers are moving in, buying up existing single dwelling properties and then turning them into high density double story townhouse ‘estates’.  This is not only happening in the city of Knox but right across Victoria.

Some larger ‘garden suburb’ blocks in Knoxfield are set to be redeveloped with 10 or 12 double & single story townhouses.

The impact of up to 50 people living on a single block is compounded by the growing number of similar developments already built or currently in the planning stages.

Developer supplied plans are often vague, ‘ResCode’ rules are being bent and council guidelines are being ignored in the rush to put as many ‘investment units’ as possible onto existing blocks in quiet established residential areas.

Neighbours are suddenly realising that they will have multiple two storey houses on their fence line, restricting their views, natural light and encroaching on their privacy.

These high density developments are also overloading critical utility services such as power, gas, water, sewerage & storm water systems.  These utilities, planned in the 1960’s, were never designed to handle multiple occupancy housing.  Who will plan, organise & pay for the required infrastructure upgrades? Not the developers!

These developments usually require the clearing of all existing established native & non-native vegetation.  This flora cannot be replaced in the short term and is already impacting on the numbers of native birds & wildlife that are unique to ‘green’ suburbs in the Knox region.

Limited off-street parking provided in these developments leads to traffic problems and accidents where residents & visitors have to park in numbers on narrow suburban streets.

Many of these developments supposedly cater for family living but little though is given to providing a reasonable community area on site for children to play in safety.

Neighbourhood action groups are springing up all over Melbourne to fight many of these proposals but local councils only have limited powers to reject these planning applications.  The developer can always appeal to VCAT which can over rule council & residents objections.

Under the State Governments ‘Melbourne 2030’ housing plan any remaining local government powers will soon be removed.  This will prevent all but adjacent residents from fighting development proposals and it will be at State Government level.

Whilst residents continue to oppose inappropriate local development the real changes are needed at State Government level.  We need to tell our elected State Government representatives that local planning decisions must remain with our elected local government representatives and not with someone in an office in the CBD who has no idea of local planning issues.

We need people to write to their local State Government representatives asking them to force changes to the 2030 plan to allow major control to remain with local council planning groups.

 

Peter Shearman

Janden Close

Knoxfield.