SIGNIFICANT
DISCOVERY IN KINGSTON
Date: late September 1999
The Panel Hearing of Amendment L 47 to the Kingston Planning Scheme (Epsom and Environs) concluded on September 14 1999. What emerged from the Hearing was confirmation of a 7 hectare remnant community of Herb-rich Plains Grassy Wetlands (West Gippsland) Community in the centre of the 45 hectare former Epsom Training Facility. Only 70 hectares of this community survive. Most of the sites are on public land such as roadsides and railway reserves and will be lost due to maintenance or road works. The site at Epsom is on private land now owned by the Urban Land Corporation (ULC) and is targeted for a 428 dwelling residential development. Of the eight remnant sites, the 7 hectare site at Epsom is the only solid body of grassy wetland.
Herb-rich Grassy Wetland (West Gippsland) Community is protected under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988. The Act outlines the actions to be taken to ensure the long term survival of the species. The first objective of the FFG Act is to guarantee that Victorian flora and fauna can survive, flourish and retain their potential for evolutionary development in the wild. Listing identifies threatened taxa and communities which need management to survive and identifies potentially threatening processes.
There are more than 60 regionally significant indigenous plants on the Epsom site and more are being located as the importance of the site is realised. However, insufficient time has been allowed by the ULC to undertake a detailed survey of the vegetation. Despite this, the ULC has applied for a permit to relocate 20% of the species to a flood retarding basin at the southern end on Governor Road. The remainder of the plants will be destroyed because of the filling required before housing construction commences.
Evidence presented at the Hearing confirmed that past attempts at relocating an entire grassy wetland community have not succeeded. Because inadequate background information has been provided on the dynamics of this wetland system, it will be impossible to replicate the conditions. It will be impossible to reproduce the existing soil profile at the relocation site. The proposed relocation site will have a significantly different hydrological regime. Since it is proposed to relocate 20% of the species to a flood retarding basin, the flood frequency and duration will have an impact on the surface water and soil to the detriment of the plants.
The Botanicus Report states:- "The site appears relatively little disturbed. It preserves a little modified unit of a once more widespread terrain of the Carrum Carrum Swamp. If relocated the landform would be completely artificial."
This reason alone would justify conservation of the plants in-situ. Can we afford to allow this remnant community of Herb-rich Plains Grassy Wetlands to become extinct?"