Boarding blues

By Paul Pickering
KNOX Criminal Investigation Unit has revealed its grave concerns about the expansion of a cluster of private boarding houses in Ferntree Gully, confirming the fears of local residents about an emerging social crisis.
CIU analyst Senior Constable Fiona Stewart has compiled a report detailing police involvement at four properties owned by private operator Basil De Jong on The Avenue and Milton Street.
The report reveals a marked increase in criminal and anti-social activity in the northern end of Ferntree Gully Village since the establishment of the boarding houses and warns of the potential impact of a proposed fifth site.
Compiled at the request of Knox City Council, the report has been tabled as evidence for an impending Victorian Civil Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) hearing in which Mr De Jong will appeal against the council’s refusal of his application to convert a Craig Avenue property into an eight-bedroom boarding house.
Sen Const Stewart’s report notes that on average a divisional van attends one of the boarding houses once per week, with the majority of calls pertaining to anti-social behaviour, drug and alcohol affected people and domestic arguments.
A review of emergency calls made in the immediate area between January 2006 and March 2007 reveals 16 reports of assault, 16 reports of theft, 14 reports of burglary and eight drug-related reports.
“A large percentage of the residents utilising these facilities have criminal priors and drug and alcohol problems and many of the residents are referred to this service once they have been released from jail,” the report says.
Sen Const Stewart said in the report that she has concerns about the impact of housing people with varied criminal histories and behavioural problems in such close proximity.
“It is predicted that there is/will be an increase in crime, higher incidents of property and damage related offences, increase in residential area pedestrian traffic, the increase in the illegitimate use of public and shared residential space and an overall decreased perception of public safety within the surrounding community,” she said in the report.
The CIU report echoes the concerns of local residents who say the cluster of boarding houses has compromised the livability of their town – as reported in the Mail on 26 June.
While Mr De Jong and his lawyers declined to comment on the report last week, he has previously denied the emergence of a social crisis in the area.
Last month he said that while privacy laws restricted him from performing background checks on prospective tenants, he required all tenants to sign a set of house rules.
“There have been cases in the past where people go overboard and cause problems but I could rent out (the property on Craig Avenue) to a large family that could cause more problems than eight people who have to sign all these forms,” he said.
Sen Const Stewart said that while she understands the need for low-cost accommodation, it would be unsuitable to approve a fifth boarding house in such close proximity to the existing site.
“Knox Police strongly oppose the approval of the fifth site and request that consideration be given to the ‘whole of community’ and the likely impact this facility would have on crime within the area,” Sen Const Stewart said in the report.
The VCAT case has been scheduled for hearing on 20 August.