Skating on course

By Tania Martin
MOUNT Evelyn’s long-awaited skate park could soon get the green light as Yarra Ranges Council is set to make a controversial move, ignoring a previous VCAT ruling.
Councillors will next week (13 July) consider approving a plan to develop the park at 25 Birmingham Road on a disused netball court adjacent to the Lilydale-Warburton Rail Trail.
In August 2008, VCAT overturned a council decision to approve the site for a skate park.
This followed residents’ concerns that the proposed park wasn’t appropriate as it was in close proximity to a residential area and feared it would lead to an increase in drug use.
VCAT agreed it was the wrong location, but failed to see the link between drugs.
However, the council is now set to approve the location, after changes in Victorian planning laws that came into effect in May last year.
Under clause 62.02-01, a planning permit is now not required for works undertaken on council land that are $1 million or less.
Billanook Ward Cr Tim Heenan said the council had obtained extensive legal advice to ensure it could go ahead with the plan.
He said under these new guidelines there would also be no avenue for residents to object through the VCAT process.
A council report leaked to the Mail states that steps had been taken to respond to noise impact concerns raised through the VCAT hearing in 2008.
“Extensive research into the noise impact of skate facilities suggests minimal impact from the proposed skate park,” it said.
Cr Heenan said the skate park had been more than 10 years in the making with more than 23 sites assessed.
But he said the Birmingham Road location was the only site to make it through the planning process.
Cr Heenan said many residents and young people would be thrilled to know it was finally going ahead.
Resident Peter Harris said the need for a skate park had been long awaited.
The Mount Evelyn Township Improvement Committee chairman said he personally believed this was the best site for the park.
Mr Harris said it was always felt the park shouldn’t be on the outskirts of town and needed to be in the vicinity of public transport.
He said it also needed to be in plain view to give the kids safe access and allow police to undertake patrolling of the area.
Morrison House CEO Jan Simmons said it was great news the park was finally moving forward.
“This was always the preferred space,” she said.
“The police said it needed to be somewhere that wasn’t off the beaten track so as not to create a ghetto, but we are always going to have people not wanting the development in their back yards.”
Ms Simmons said it was really up to the kids now to learn to manage the park to make sure antisocial behaviour was not tolerated.
But she said the location was in the ‘public-eye’ and doubted it would encourage antisocial behaviour.
“It’s great to finally see some resolution on this but the challenge in front of us now and the kids is to make it work,” Ms Simmons said.