Village anger

By Bridget Brady
A DEVELOPER is appealing to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) a Casey council decision to refuse a planning application for 22 dwellings in Tooradin.
The council rejected the application on 24 March based on the Casey Planning Scheme ruling it was considered to be a high density development out of character with the coastal village town.
But the developer, W&B Group c/o Taylors Development Strategists, is appealing the decision for the application to build 22 dwellings at 49 South Gippsland Highway in Tooradin on the 1.239 hectare vacant site bordered by Bayview Road and adjacent to Tooradin Primary School.
Council received five objections to the application based on loss of neighbourhood character and impacts on drainage, sewerage and road infrastructure.
One objector said the houses would disturb the tranquillity of Tooradin.
“This is a lovely little town and we do not want to be an eyesore.”
Others said they bought their house in Tooradin because it was a small town and they did not want this setting disrupted.
“Tooradin is a nice, small coastal village. Cramming more and more houses and buildings into our community will destroy the village. Eventually we will end up becoming like Pakenham or Dandenong with all the trouble and violence.”
Tooradin Primary School principal Marj Scarce said the school council opposed the application because it was worried about the safety of students from the increased traffic.
“We have a duty of care to students and their safety. It (Bayview Road) is a very busy road with children being dropped off and waiting to be picked up. We were concerned about the safety of children,” Ms Scarce said.
The council said coastal village towns like Tooradin, Blind Bight and Cannons Creek had a special rural township character that set them apart from other urban areas in the municipality. The planning scheme was aimed at preserving this character, and the application conflicted with that, the council said.
“These townships are experiencing development pressure that could potentially render them indistinct from other urban areas, with little consideration placed on the sense of community, local history and environmental qualities of the area.”
The council agreed with residents who feared the development would cause high demand on the sewerage system. One resident said a major upgrade to the sewerage system was needed if the development went ahead.
A spokeswoman for VCAT said they had received the application challenging the City of Casey’s decisions and a hearing would start after mid June.