By Tanya Faulkner
It may be time for Knox locals and visitors to retreat from a local retreat, as plans are proposed to replace the haven with a landfill in the area.
A planning application that has been submitted to the Yarra Ranges Council, which proposes the installation of a landfill at 465 Lysterfield Road, in Lysterfield, which is currently the site of the Don Bosco Retreat.
According to the applicant, Salesian Society Inc (who currently own the land), the landfill would be used for the disposal of fill, including from state government projects and earthworks of approximately 400,000 bulk cubic metres (BCM) and associated vegetation removal at the site.
The project is proposed over a period of three years, distributed across an area of approximately 15 hectares.
The site in question also has heritage value, as the land forms part of the Auxilium College grounds.
Salesian Society Inc have identified that the two-storey college building was formerly a residence constructed in the 1880s and used as the college since the mid-1960s.
It is now used as a retreat centre for school, parish and other groups, with no works proposed to the site or surrounding gardens.
The application suggests truck movements along Glenfern Road, Benrock Park Drive and Lysterfield road are estimated to be 40-50 deliveries per day, with no more than 6 deliveries per hour (12 vehicle movements per hour for entry and exit onto Lysterfield Road), and will operate for three years from 7am to 4pm Monday to Friday, and 7am to 1pm on Saturdays.
However, locals are concerned with the proposal, saying there are several issues that need to be taken into consideration.
According to Friends of the Glenfern Green Wedge president Jo Selleck, the proposal to dump 400,000 cubic metres of landfill from unknown sites across Melbourne into the Lysterfield Valley is contrary to the Green Wedge Zone (Schedule 6).
“It is destructive to the landscape, biodiversity, and agricultural values of the site.
“It is contrary to the Significant Landscape Overlay and Heritage Overlay, and the site is registered by the National Trust as a Significant Landscape,” she said.
The site is said to have been the subject of VCAT case in 2018-2019, where VCAT decided against the developer and affirmed the landscape, biodiversity and agricultural values of the site.
Ms Selleck said this proposal goes against this VCAT finding.
“In the 2018-2019 VCAT case, the member decided against having that land subdivided to protect the green wedge values – the environment, landscape and biodiversity of the area.
“It’s inconsistent with the green wedge to not prioritise those values,” she said.
Ms Selleck said not only will the suggested landfill damage the beautiful landscape and biodiversity of the area, it also poses risks to wildlife in the area.
“The land in question plays host to migratory birds called the Cattle Egret, which are protected by federal law under the Environment Protection Biodiversity Act (EBPC Act) in an agreement with Japan and China.
“Flocks of them can be seen in that particular area.
“The landfill also poses risk to the Monbulk creek and some of the last remaining platypus in the Dandenong ranges.
“It will change the hydrology of the site and present increased risk due to the Land Subject to Inundation overlay,” she said.
Her hope is that the council “straight out refuse” this application and focus on protecting the landscape and biodiversity that remains in Knox.
Knox Environmental Society (KES) president Richard Faragher said this isn’t the purpose of land under the Green Wedge overlay.
“The land in question is right on the edge of residential land suburbs, and we have seen the push to use these spaces for “better purpose” has become stronger and stronger.
He said environmental impacts are often not known until it happens, until we then have to deal with the consequences.
KES are concerned there may be a repeat of what happened with waste from the West Gate Bridge in 2022, where the Victorian Ombudsman was said to criticise the Environmental Protection Authority over accusations of the toxic soil.
For Mr Faragher, however, the biggest question is very simple: Why?
The planning application appears to show no reason as to why the applicant is seeking to install such a landfill on the site in question.
“We can’t really tell why the application has been submitted, but it appears to be some kind of money making exercise.
“The retreat is pencilled in to be removed and the land to be subdivided, but we can’t tell why, and that is the question that locals deserve to have answered.
“There appears to be a drainage line on the site, which is there for a reason and provides a direct line to water, which should be addressed,” he said.
He said council should know that the land is an important area, with Monbulk creek nearby, and reports saying there are still platypus in the area, which could be impacted should the application be approved.
His recommendation is that the council doesn’t allow the landfill to be installed.
“This is not the idea for green wedge land to be a soil dump.
“It will create an eye-sore for a long time, and we have no idea what the open space is supposed to be.
“The space is supposed to be a calming and relaxing corridor on the edge of the suburbs, not something we can just develop or dump on.
“It’s meant to be an open space and conservation area for the Knox community,” he said.
Other concerns that have arisen from locals are the risks of noise, dust and sedimentation, which has allegedly been raised by Melbourne Water, and traffic management, including large transport trucks negotiating the narrow winding road.
The application also describes some of the fill that will be taken to the site as ‘innominate’, meaning not named or classified, which has sparked concerns amongst several locals.
The land in question, as part of the Green Wedge, contains several overlays, including a Fire Zone overlay, Heritage and Significant Landscape Overlay, Vegetation Protection overlay and Environmental overlays.
According to Ferntree Gully CFA’s Graham Crighton, the best views of the land in question are at the top of Birdsland Reserve, which looks over the land.
He said the installation of a landfill on the proposed site would remove the beautiful views that locals and visitors experience on the walk.
The application remains under review with the Yarra Ranges Council, and locals can send in submissions before a final decision is released in the coming months.
