By GEORGIA WESTGARTH
DESPITE a big push from the City of Casey and Brookland Greens residents, Cranbourne MP Jude Perera has not answered desperate calls for a review into State Government provisions on share housing developments.
A powerless Casey council and neighbourhood of angry Cranbourne residents want to change the State Government laws which mean share housing can go ahead without prior council planning approval or consultations with neighbours.
And they have had no help from Mr Perera, despite numerous letters from Casey council officers.
The site at 5 Concord Place in the ‘upmarket’ Brookland Greens Estate has been subject to several protests and two petitions to stop a proposed development of two 10-place share houses.
Casey Mayor Cr Sam Aziz said the lack of council involvement in such developments was “absurd”.
“These residents are concerned about the impact the rooming house will have on amenity and safety including parking and noise and their concerns are rightly justified,” Cr Aziz said.
Prior to Christmas the City of Casey wrote to Mr Perera requesting he make “immediate and strong representations” to Minister for Planning Richard Wynne to review the planning scheme provisions for rooming houses.
But Cr Aziz said their correspondence was going unanswered “again”.
Cranbourne councillor Geoff Ablett said the City of Casey had been requesting assistance from Mr Perera for almost 12 months.
“Mr Perera has done nothing, and hasn’t even responded to letters seeking his involvement.
“We are calling for a review … and as an interim step, amend the planning scheme provisions to prohibit the establishment of further rooming houses (in Casey) without a planning permit,” Cr Ablett said.
Locals have labelled the proposal an “absurd situation”.
They fear the type of person the share houses, which could hold up to 20 people, could attract to their estate.
Former Casey Councillor Peter Giles, who lives adjacent to the site, approached the City of Casey in December last year proposing court action on behalf of the affected Casey residents.
But acting CEO at the City of Casey, Peter Fitchett, said it would be a fruitless legal battle.
“Council can only initiate legal proceedings against the development if there was a breach of planning laws,” Mr Fitchett advised.
“As it stands, the proposed shared accommodation proposal meets the State Government’s shared accommodation planning provisions.
“The City of Casey believes advocacy is far more effective.”
Distressed neighbour of the proposed development, Wendy Martyn, says she will sell up and move if the tenants turn out to be disruptive.
“We don’t know who will live there – it could become a halfway house for recovering drug addicts, could be low income earners and we are concerned for our safety and that these houses will lower the whole tone of the area,” Ms Martyn said.
Scared for the future of her prestigious and “peaceful” estate Ms Martyn said the share house in Dearing Avenue Cranbourne was a fine example and had pushed people to move elsewhere.
“The scary thing is it could happen anywhere in Casey, it’s a law in Victoria and it’s going under the radar,” she said.
Cr Ablett along with Shadow Minister for Planning Hon David Davis will be speaking to anxious residents at a meeting on Monday 25 at the Cranbourne Turf Club at 6pm.
In response to questions from the News, Mr Perera replied:
“We have received correspondence from the City of Casey in recent times and are aware of community concerns regarding this development.
“Planning is about people, and I always put the local voice of my community first.
“I have raised this issue with the Minister for Planning and we are working towards producing a positive outcome for the residents of Cranbourne.”
