By Tanya Faulkner
The battle continues to maintain green space in the Knox municipality.
Knox Mayor Cr Marcia Timmers-Leitch and Deputy Mayor Cr Jude Dwight met with the Minister for Planning to address council and community concerns for the development of the Boronia Heights School site.
The community have expressed their concerns about Government’s plans for turning the site into social housing, and removing some of the only remaining green space in the surrounding area.
The state government has approved plans for high density housing at the former Boronia Heights College grounds with minimal notice to the public and consultation with Knox Council.
In 2018, the state government rezoned the site for residential development and the Planning Minister was made the Responsible Authority for planning application decisions, and not Council.
At the time, the Government Land Standing Advisory Committee recommended establishing a formal protocol with Council regarding the development approval process for any planning permits issued for the site, via a Section 173 Agreement under the Planning and Environment Act 1987.
No protocol was ever established.
Cr Timmers-Leitch said they were happy to have had the opportunity to speak to the Minister.
“Our concerns start with the lack of engagement to date, along with the intensity of the development, a lack of specifics on social and affordable housing delivery, the protection of habitat zones and vegetation, bushfire risks, traffic access/congestion and a drainage system needed to manage increased stormwater runoff.
“While the state government’s approval of a Development Plan for this site limits our ability to influence those outcomes already set, we are pleased with the Minister’s indication of support for a partnership approach to be established with Council,” she said.
Cr Timmers-Leitch said this collaboration includes support to establish a formal protocol with Council for the development approval process from this point forward.
“It is critical that Council has a stronger role in this process to ensure that future development better respects the Knox Planning Scheme provisions and community expectations.
“We hope this will be the start of a constructive and productive partnership, and Council is certainly prepared for future advocacy we may need to pursue for this site,” she said.
In a previous interview with Star Mail, Boronia local Roger Davey said the site is a nice piece of greenery amongst the surrounding residential developments.
“Tearing down the park and building houses on it would mean there is no more ‘green’ in the area.
“There are kids enjoying the bike tracks they’ve built, and a football field that is needed in the community,” he said.
Save Boronia Heights Facebook page showed those very bike jumps had been demolished by bulldozers last month.
