Boarding blow

By Paul Pickering
A PRIVATE boarding house operator has been granted the right to establish a fifth facility in Ferntree Gully after the Victorian Civil Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) last week defied the urgings of Knox City Council, Knox Police and local residents.
The order to overrule the council’s refusal of a planning permit for the Craig Avenue site was delivered last Tuesday (27 November).
The latest chapter in a series of boarding house disputes between Knox and Drewgood Pty Ltd’s owner Basil De Jong began when Mr De Jong sought to convert his home into an 11-room boarding house.
This was in addition to a cluster of four smaller facilities owned by Mr De Jong on nearby Milton Street and The Avenue.
Earlier this year Knox Criminal Investigation Unit analyst Senior Constable Fiona Stewart raised concerns about the effect the concentration of boarding houses would have on the neighbourhood.
In the report, Sen Con Stewart leant weight to the concerns of local residents by documenting an increase in crime in the immediate area over the last five years.
During the four-day hearing (20-23 August), VCAT heard the views of a number of prominent social and town planning experts, as well as police officers, local residents and current and former tenants of Mr De Jong’s properties.
Having considered the case for over three months, VCAT’s Jeanette Richards ultimately decided that the demand for low-cost accommodation in the area was impossible to ignore.
“There is an acknowledged need for this type of accommodation, particularly within the Knox area, and I consider this proposal contributes to the provision of a form of affordable housing to meet the needs of some members of the community,” the report states.
“That there are – within close proximity to this dwelling – other dwellings used as boarding houses is not considered to have a detrimental effect on the community,” it continues.
Ms Richards was unable to conclude that the clustering of boarding houses in the area had led to an increase in conflict with neighbours, noting that most of the issues reported were between the tenants themselves.
Contrary to the views expressed by the council and a former-tenant of the boarding house on The Avenue, Ms Richards was also unable to conclude that Mr De Jong’s management style was inappropriate.
While the report considered the property to be “well located for this type of use”, Ms Richards ruled that the boarding house should include signage advising tenants to “respect the peace and quiet of the neighbourhood”, and that a communication plan should be developed with the council and Knox Police.
Responding to the order yesterday (3 November), a spokesman for the council said Knox was ‘extremely disappointed’ with the decision, noting that the council would investigate its legal options after a careful examination of the ruling.
Other responses to the VCAT order will be included in the next issue of the Mail.