Tuesday, 8 February 2022

Cairnlea development

Mr R SMITH (Warrandyte) (19:04): (6188) Tonight I wish to raise a matter for the Minister for Planning regarding the final stage of the Cairnlea estate development and Development Victoria’s tone-deaf plan for the proposed land, and in raising these matters I would ask of the minister that he personally meet with local residents to discuss their concerns. Located 16 kilometres north-west of Melbourne, this development first started in 1997. Since then the estate now includes over 3100 homes and a town centre and boasts large open areas. The original estate had created a family-focused atmosphere, with residents enjoying the close proximity of local parks and natural surroundings. Development Victoria is now working through the final stages of developing 840 lots to create a 20-minute neighbourhood.

I recently met with local residents along with councillors from Brimbank City Council, who have raised significant concerns over the final plans from Development Victoria. Some of the concerns that have been aired include that despite a survey where an overwhelming amount of responses identified the preferred type of property to be houses, Development Victoria is proposing microlots with compact townhouses and some lot sizes that are only 75 square metres. Development Victoria is proposing to move all 300 of the adult sugar gum trees throughout the estate. These trees are clearly mature and were planted in a planned way at the outset of the Cairnlea development. Another concern is that the proposed soccer pitches will be privately run and will only be available for public use 25 per cent of the time. The proposed site is set far back with no direct access to public transport, and in addition the plans do not take into account the fact that there are a number of other sports and recreational activities which the community would like to see accommodated.

The proposal also states that Development Victoria in talks with the Department of Transport are advocating for new routes. For a project that has been in the works since mid-2020 the entire plan for public transport for the 840 lots is just to advocate for new routes. Surely accessible public transport would be a fundamental need for any new development, particularly one led by the state government. Within the site context of the development, the map itself shows that the main transportation and shopping hubs are at a distance which does not meet the government’s own measure for a 20-minute neighbourhood.

Now, the community engagement findings report boasts that 64 per cent of residents were ‘overall happy’ or ‘somewhat happy’ with the vision. I would not call this overwhelming support for the project, particularly given the very limited number of people questioned. It is a privilege to be in a position to plan and implement a vision for new areas that people will call home. This project has the ability to be a great addition to the Cairnlea estate, but local voices need to be listened to. So the action I seek is that the Minister for Planning meets with local residents, listens to their concerns and works with them to revise the project and ensure that community concerns and expectations are met.