By Parker McKenzie
Local and national conservation groups have called on the State Government to stop the development of a Knox site, where hatchings of the vulnerable Blue-billed Duck have taken place.
The “Lake Knox” site — on the corner of Scoresby Road and Burwood Highway — is on the grounds of the former Knoxfield Horticultural Research Institute, where it is believed to have been used to store water for use in irrigating research crops in either the late 1950s or early 1960s.
The land it is situated on is owned by the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning. It was rezoned in 2018 for Development Victoria to develop the land for residential housing and community space.
Local community groups including the First Friends of Dandenong Creek, Friends of Lake Knox Sanctuary and the Croydon Conservation Society have signed a petition to stop the development of the site, which has 22,000 signatures.
National conservation groups including the Jane Goodall Institute Australia, Wildlife Victoria, Environment Victoria, Australian Conservation Foundation, Greenpeace Australia, Australian Wildlife Protection Council, For the Love of Wildlife, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and the Australian Animal Protection Agency have endorsed protecting the site from further development.
First Friends of Dandenong Creek president Anthony Bigelow said there is overwhelming support from the wider community in ending the planned development.
“We know that the public notices will be put up by the council shortly. So we’d be encouraging everyone to object to those, you don’t have to be local in the area to object to a public notice, especially if it’s environmental-based as well,” he said.
“It’s still public land. So we are dealing with the public asset here as well. Council is involved in that, but at the end of the day, it’s actually the State Government that needs to step in and step up.”
A spokesperson for Development Victoria — the Victorian Government’s development arm — said the artificial dam at the Knoxfield site is unsafe and has been assessed as structurally unsound.
“We’ve been consulting with the community for several years to inform them of the site’s development, including replacing the existing dam with a vibrant new wetlands system,” the spokesperson said.
“The new wetlands will ensure a safe, suitable and long-term breeding environment for the threatened Blue-billed Duck and other species, as well as result in a far better overall environmental outcome and improve the health of local waterways, including Blind Creek.”
An independent study commissioned by the community raised concerns over Development Victoria’s ability to achieve a better or even comparable ecological outcome.
The report by Professor Paul Boon stated several issues with the plans, including that claims of guaranteed ecological success “are inconsistent with scientific literature,” “doubts over Development Victoria’s capacity to deliver high-quality replacement aquatic habitat,” and the plan containing questionable assertions about Lake Knox and its development.
Development Victoria has lodged the first subdivision planning permit application for the residential redevelopment with Knox City Council, along with the planning permit application for the proposed wetland.
