By Violet Li
Mornington Peninsula Shire Council has turned down a planning permit for a controversial large temple development in a Green Wedge zone, defining its position for upcoming VCAT proceedings.
Councillors voted unanimously against the application by non-profit multilingual Hindu organisation Melbourne Ayyappa Seva Sangam (MASS) during a meeting on Tuesday 31 October.
The proposed site is located on the corner of Dandenong-Hastings Road and South Boundary Road West within the Watson Ward in rural Pearcedale.
The envisioned development, more specifically a Hindu temple, would include a main temple complex, eating hall, toilet block, a storage shed, a lake, and will necessitate the removal of existing vegetation and other earthworks.
It would be open to patrons between 7am and 10am and 5pm to 8pm seven days a week. The maximum number of patrons on site at any given time was expected to be around 150. Special ceremonies would be held twice per year with the temple open for 24 hours.
The council report stated there were 307 formal objections opposing the proposed temple from the submission of the application on December 2021 to April 2023.
Council planning officers agreed with objectors that the development was contrary to the protection of Green Wedge land as well as being an inappropriate location and size and scale.
They also suggested it would impose unacceptable impacts on environment, flora and fauna, and produce unacceptable visual impacts, noise and light pollution, traffic congestion and accidents, and fire risks.
The development application had earlier been referred to VCAT as the council was unable to make a decision within the required 60 days.
However, the council had needed to form its position prior to VCAT proceedings.
Around 18 submitters attended the council meeting to speak against the development, on behalf of more than 800 members from the Peninsula Green Wedge Protection Group.
Watson Ward Cr Kate Roper spelled out the impact of the development on Green Wedge lands, neighbouring residents, the surrounding environment, traffic, and general amenity.
She emphasised the purpose of setting Green Wedge zones was to protect those lands from uses and developments that would diminish its agricultural, environmental, and cultural heritage values.
“There is constant pressure to push the boundaries of what can be built in Green Wedge. But this one, in anyone’s view, must be seen as a step too far.
“The fact that this can even be considered in Green Wedge is an alarming anomaly of state planning regulations that needs to be revised as soon as possible.”
She believed the proposal would be very appropriate and warmly welcome in any of the larger towns nearby, but not in the middle of farmland with such a large footprint.
Cr Roper referred to the objection made by the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action.
It stated the application did not clearly and accurately describe the full extent of native vegetation proposed to be removed.
It also feared the proposed development would have an unacceptable impact on biodiversity values, including on endangered Ecological Vegetation Classes (EVCs) and habitat for rare and threatened species.
The Department of Transport also acknowledged the issues of increased traffic.
Cr Antonella Celi supported the rejection and thanked all the submitters for voicing their concerns.
“I can see the relevance and importance of the need to develop a Hindu temple in accordance with the cultural audiences of the Hindu philosophy,” she said.
“But in considering this application, I need to make my assessment not based on the merit of the use alone, but on the built form of this development against the Mornington Peninsula Planning scheme, the policy directions in the municipal planning strategy.”
On 17 October, Mornington Peninsula Shire Council had approved a temporary permit for a religious event at the same site.
The upcoming VCAT hearing against the future place of worship development will run from 19 to 24 February 2024.
A compulsory mediation meeting is scheduled on 22 November for all parties to try and negotiate a middle ground.
MASS has been contacted for comment by Star News.
