Mordialloc Beaumaris Conservation League Inc

Submission to the City of Kingston

‘Northern Non Urban Area Framework Plan’

Date: October 2007

SOUTH EAST GREEN WEDGE:

• MBCL supports the directions of Melbourne 2030 for the provision of defined green wedges and growth corridors, and supports the general role of green wedges, as set out in Melbourne 2030.
• MBCL supports the retention of the Heatherton/Clayton South/Dingley Non Urban Area.
• The MBCL supports the retention of the South East Green Wedge and supports the existing location of the urban growth boundary. Too many large excisions have occurred over the past decade, including The Waterways, Sandhurst Club, Botanic Ridge and The Keys developments. Eastlink is a major negative impact - an unsustainable transport scheme that has detracted investment away from more pressing (and logical) regional road projects.
• MBCL holds that it is highly inappropriate to propose new urban zonings to the wedge when abutting horticultural uses are not considered as part of the Framework Plan.
• MBCL does not support the shifting of the Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) to Kingston Road, but supports the existing location.
• MBCL supports the application of prescriptive planning controls for green wedges.

URBAN ENCROACHMENT (or EMPLOYMENT ZONE):

• MBCL vehemently opposes the establishment of the proposed ‘employment zone’ on land located in the ‘Enterprise Sites’ precinct and at the Baguley Nursery site on Heatherton Road.
• Urban zones, such as those suggested for the employment node, are prohibited in a green wedge under the Melbourne 2030 policy.
• MBCL holds that it is highly inappropriate to propose new urban zonings to the wedge when impacts on abutting horticultural uses are not considered as part of the Framework Plan.
• This employment zone will undermine the integrity of the Heatherton green wedge – for further information see ‘Horticulture’ below:
• MBCL opposes the shifting of the Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) to Kingston Road.
• MBCL supports the general concept of the urban forest on the area north of Victory Road, as outlined in Precinct Four.

SANDBELT CHAIN OF PARKS:

• MBCL strongly supports the Sandbelt Chain of Parks as planned and progressed by Parks Victoria, in partnership with the COK.
• Open space contribution funds from the Cities of Glen Eira and Bayside (and others) should be investigated as a means of funding and developing the ‘regional’ parklands above.
• MBCL generally supports the proposed open space directions of Precincts One and Two.
• MBCL supports the general concept of the urban forest on the area north of Victory Road, as outlined in Precinct Four.
• Land marked as vacant in Precinct Five should be utilised for sporting or institutional purposes, if the land is safe/rehabilitated. Was this land considered in the most recent review of the Open Space Strategy?
• MBCL supports the proposal that land to the south of Leslie Road in Precinct Five be acquired for the Chain of Parks. However, there are community concerns about the nature of the waste deposited at this site in the past, and as such Council must be careful when rehabilitating this site.
• MBCL supports the continued recreation and conservation role of Precinct Seven, but cannot comment on specific proposals such as the Social Club in any detail.

LANDSCAPING:

• Quality boulevard plantings along main roads would create a more distinctive impression - especially on Warrigal Road which desperately needs a facelift, and along Old Dandenong Road.
• Indigenous, bird attracting plants should be used as buffering for the Dingley Freeway.
• Use of plants that are indigenous to the Sandbelt should be promoted in developments, and any remnant vegetation retained.
• Intelligent use of road frontages to main roads, to create softer, more attractive edges is encouraged.
• The interesting diversity of land uses in the wedge should be acknowledged.

SHARED PATHS FOR WALKING AND CYCLING:

• MBCL supports well designed pathways and links for cyclists and pedestrians throughout the study area, particularly through the Sandbelt parks, and in other suggested locations.
• Good connections to surrounding residential areas, as discussed in the plan, are supported.

HORTICULTURE:

• MBCL supports the retention of nurseries in the Nursery Precinct. However, unsuitable recreational development (for example, a JV Marine style development that would be more suitable to a light industrial area) must be prohibited.
• MBCL opposes the rezoning of the Baguley Nursery to an urban (Business 3) zoning. If the landowners are disinterested in managing the business in the medium to longer term, it can be sold to another operator.
• The introduction of an Employment Zone in Precinct 6 will have a devastating impact on horticulture in the Heatherton wedge. Expectations that further rezonings will occur shortly will sharply raise land prices, raise Council rates, lower expectations of farmers for long term horticultural use, encourage speculation and abandonment of land, and generally undermine the productivity of the area.
• If approved, this ‘urban island’ is likely to encourage further urban subdivisions to the south, as evidenced by The Waterways development, which totally undermined and destroyed most of the Keysborough Green Wedge’s agricultural area in the late 90s.
• Given the shortage of water in Victoria, and the wedge’s close proximity to the Eastern Treatment Plant, Heatherton should be ear-marked for water recycling opportunities and be considered vital to Melbourne’s food security. The ETP must be thought of as a major future reliable water resource for Melbourne.
• Issues such as rising fuel costs, global oil shortages, political instability in the Middle East, rising food costs, and national water shortages, all point to the importance of retaining and enhancing quality agricultural areas that are close to major cities. Given the nearby location of key water resources at the Eastern Treatment Plant, it would be foolish to urbanise this area, especially given the prior loss of the Keysborough agricultural area.

LANDFILL & RECYCLING SITES:

• The important role of green wedges in providing affordable land for waste management has been acknowledged by State planning authorities since at least the 1960s; ditto sand mining and quarries. The whispered assertion throughout the draft Framework Plan that such uses are inherently urban in nature and not consistent with the role and history of green wedges is totally false and historically inaccurate.
• MBCL supports the waste hierarchy approach as outlined on page 35.
• MBCL supports the continuation of appropriately managed, buffered, monitored and staged land filling in the study area, with the longer term aim of creating the Sandbelt Chain of Parks.
• MBCL is opposed to the illegal dumping of toxic waste in the area.
• MBCL is not opposed to the appropriate use of former tip sites for well managed, environmentally oriented waste recycling purposes, as long as that use:
• Continues to be located in a Special Use zone and is located within the green wedge, rather than rezoned as Industrial and located inside the UGB.
• Is appropriately located.
• Is well buffered, in terms of distance, visual buffering and noise buffering – from roads, existing and future parks, residential areas, community uses, and horticultural areas.
• Is not an industry that is more appropriate to an offensive industrial zone, such as concrete crushing, smelting of metals, reprocessing of oils and fats, etcetera.
• Meets a high standard of environmental management that is approved and monitored by the EPA.
• Has minimal use of buildings and structures.
• Is well designed, with low impact structures in appropriate colours (ie. NOT bright orange like Mitre 10 in Edithvale, for instance).
• Does not compromise or unduly impact upon the Chain of Parks concept, land reservation, or future parklands.
• Involves an application for a real and credible recycling facility – not a regular factory with a token waste facility attached (for example, a bird viewing tower that happens to be attached to a petrol station).

IMPROVEMENTS TO MAPS:

The following alterations to the maps within the Framework Plan are suggested:

• Legible numbers for sites on the map on page 4.
• A zoning key for the map on page 20.
• A complete key for the map on page 29 (some brown colours missing).
• Legible key for the map on page 40.
• Add a detailed study area map with proposed zonings and UGB (A3).
• Add a detailed study area map with proposed land uses (A3).
• Add some indication of the location of the Sandbelt parks on the detailed precinct maps (if possible).

POLICY ADDITIONS:

The following policy additions are suggested:

• Improved content and reference to the context and directions of Melbourne 2030 and related green wedge planning.
• Some discussion related to the City of Kingston’s Open Space Strategy and planning.
• Some content related to the improvement of drains in the area, and their potential use as open space linkages and wildlife corridors.
• If possible, add an appendix with the existing local planning policy for enterprise sites, for readers’ reference.

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