Some good news for entire swamp
Acting on information received, the Federal Environment Minister, Tony Burke, in the last week of August, directed officers of the Compliance and Enforcement Branch of DSEWPC to initiate enquiries into the Village Glen expansion proposal with Mornington Peninsula Shire Council, the Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment and the proponent, the Village Glen
See a Google map of the development site boundaries (as it looked in January 2009) here
The parcel is completely enclosed by the Sanctuary Park Wetland Reserve like the hole in a doughnut
To quote correspondence from the Minister's office:
"Environmental information provided by the proponent, Council and DSE will be assessed by the Department to determine whether a referral is required for this proposal"
"Matters of national environmental significance which are relevant in the Rosebud area include a wetland of international significance (Ramsar wetland)"
"A person proposing to take an action that is likely to have a significant impact on a matter of national environmental significance must refer their proposal to the Department for assessment and approval. Substantial penalties apply to a person who takes such an action without approval"
See a Google map of the development site boundaries (as it looked in January 2009) here
The parcel is completely enclosed by the Sanctuary Park Wetland Reserve like the hole in a doughnut
To quote correspondence from the Minister's office:
"Environmental information provided by the proponent, Council and DSE will be assessed by the Department to determine whether a referral is required for this proposal"
"Matters of national environmental significance which are relevant in the Rosebud area include a wetland of international significance (Ramsar wetland)"
"A person proposing to take an action that is likely to have a significant impact on a matter of national environmental significance must refer their proposal to the Department for assessment and approval. Substantial penalties apply to a person who takes such an action without approval"
The recent management practices of this proposed development site, and the failure of all parties involved to identify and assess the endangered vegetation community (above) that covered the majority of the site 2 years ago and prevent or detect it's (alleged) systematic destruction is the reason behind the federal investigation
We believe that we may have seen off the very last attempt to fill in any of this national asset for development
We might expect that the Village Glen's VCAT application, currently still to have a decision handed up, will be for the high-jump, but.... it's VCAT
We believe that we may have seen off the very last attempt to fill in any of this national asset for development
We might expect that the Village Glen's VCAT application, currently still to have a decision handed up, will be for the high-jump, but.... it's VCAT
The internet can be a dangerous thing, in the right hands
Google Maps 1/1/2009
The Yellow Line is the boundary of the Sanctuary Park Wetland Reserve. The golf course public land annexation in 2002 by the same developer (still to be accounted for) is shown. The green line is part of a manifestly inadequate land swap settlement that is currently on the shire table. The orange polygon shows where the slasher has since incurred into the public land. The area on the left of the picture is 92 Elizabeth avenue with the illegal cultivation visible
Nearmap.com 10/10/2010
"Unlike the situation only ten years ago the majority of the interested community recognise the importance of the wetland ecology, of swamp biodiversity, of it's flora and fauna values, it's natural flood retardation value, and of it's value in improving water quality in the bay. The problem now is that such acknowledgement needs to result in action and commitment of resources, especially in the part of agencies and Council"
Draft Chinamans Creek Catchment Strategy - Pat Condina & Associates, 1997
The northern end of the swamp is under intense pressure from existing land use and sub-division plans, all from a less enlightened age. A great place for an industrial estate, and we mustn't ignore the elephant in the swamp, a major freeway embankment, cutting the swamp in half and eliminating the remaining grassland
A Colchester Road industrial estate subdivision would obliterate substantial areas of several endangered EVCs including Tall Marsh and Swamp Scrub
