Rally against supermarket

By Tania Martin
MT EVELYN residents are rallying together to stop Woolworths from invading their town.
This comes as more than 450 people gathered in the centre of Mt Evelyn last Saturday to unite in a campaign to stop a proposed supermarket development.
But fighting against the development is nothing new for residents as they have been campaigning for its refusal since 2003 when the land on the corner of Snowball Avenue and Station Street was rezoned from residential to business.
The latest campaign is called Rise Against Woolworths (RAW) and was launched at a rally on Saturday.
The rally was the largest ever held in Mt Evelyn and possibly that biggest ever held in the Yarra Valley.
Mt Evelyn Environment Protection and Progress Association (MEEPPA) president Franc Smith said the rally sent a clear message to Woolworths, that the people of Mt Evelyn do not want another supermarket and that they will fight all the way until the proposal is rejected.
This latest campaign comes after a VCAT hearing for the proposed supermarket was put on hold to allow Woolworths to become party to the hearing.
In October residents called for Woolworths to be excluded from the hearing because the company was not the original applicant and had not been part of the development process.
This came as news broke that the multi-national conglomerate was buying the land in question from developer Arch Carswell.
But despite residents’ call for Woolworths to be excluded, VCAT granted an adjournment.
The multi-national conglomerate now has until March next year to exhibit amended plans for the proposed development.
Mr Smith said the rally sought to empower the community by providing information on the VCAT appeal.
He said this latest campaign has also included the launch of a website called www.mtevelynraw.com.
Mr Smith said the website had been developed so that residents could find out the latest information on the proposed development.
“A lot of people didn’t even realise that Woolworths Limited had purchased the land,” he said.
“We held the rally so the people of Mt Evelyn could be informed and make a decision whether they support the development or not.”
Shire of Yarra Ranges mayor Tim Heenen said the people of Mt Evelyn are sending a large, long and loud message to Woolworths that the company is not welcome.
He said it was time to stand up and fight for the future of the town.
“Make no mistake, this is about the future of this village as we know it and I implore each and every one of you to be present at this crucial crossroad in our history,” Cr Heenan said.
“Only together can we deaf this invader and only together can we preserve the character and our way of life for future generations.”