By Parker McKenzie
Knox City Council expects to consider two planning permits for the contentious ‘Lake Knox’ development from Development Victoria by the end of the year, after receiving over 1,000 objections to the subdivision and construction of wetlands on the site.
Mayor Susan Laukens said the council can only judge a planning permit application according to the planning controls that apply to that land.
“There are very strict rules that apply to how we make planning decisions,” she said.
“If we don’t follow those rules our decision and any opportunity we have to influence a development application can be called into question and thrown out by VCAT or the Minister.”
The development of the site — which is located at the corner of Burwood Highway and Scoresby Road in Knoxfield — is controversial and has seen widespread community opposition because of several hatchings of the vulnerable blue-billed duck being found at the dam, with concerns that the proposed wetlands will not create favourable environmental outcomes.
The project includes subdividing the land 105 times to build townhouses up to three storeys in height, four large parks, a shared path network and wetlands. The dam, known locally as Lake Knox, recently underwent structural repairs, and will be removed if the development goes ahead.
“Back in 2018 the Minister for Planning rezoned the land and changed some of the overlays in order to facilitate development of the surplus land for residential, commercial and retail purposes,” Knox City Council said in a statement.
“At the time Council made a submission to the rezoning process that called for the sensitive biodiversity on this site to be retained, protected, and enhanced. The submission highlighted the existing dam and recommended not changing the environmental significance overlay until the new wetland had been established.”
The site was formerly the Knoxfield Horticultural Research Facility, where the dam is believed to have been built in the late 1950s or 1960 to be used for crop irrigation.
With the upcoming state election on 26 November, the Star Mail asked Bayswater MP Jackson Taylor and Ferntree Gully MP Nick Wakeling — who are both candidates for Bayswater — in July where they stood on the proposed development.
Mr Wakeling said the issue was an example of the Labor Government not listening to the local community.
“It’d be easily solved if the government sat down with the local community and came up with a workable solution,” he said.
“Residents aren’t being obstructionists, they aren’t being malicious, they just want to be heard, be listened to and engaged.”
In March, Mr Wakeling called for an advisory group including local representation to determine the future of the site and to consider designating it as a sanctuary.
Mr Taylor said it was disappointing to see the politicisation of the matter after the plan to retain the man-made dam was discovered to be unworkable.
“Investigations found it was structurally unstable with leaks and cracks detected in the dam wall and at risk of collapse, meaning it would need to be completely drained to rectify this regardless of future use,” Mr Taylor said.
“At the end of the day this will create a nature reserve, a fit-for-purpose wetlands sanctuary which will allow the Blue-billed Duck and other wildlife not just to survive, but to thrive and flourish for years to come.”
