By Eleanor Wilson
The City of Casey has provided an update on its continuing review of a formidable 1068 submissions to the Draft Hampton Park Hill Development Plan.
At a 13 December council meeting, council administrators noted the Community Engagement Summary Report for the Hampton Park Hill Development Plan, which analysed the council’s community engagement, including public and stakeholder submissions, concerning the plan.
The development plan sets out a proposal to transform the current Hallam Road Landfill into a mixed open space reserve and waste transfer site, after the State Government identified it as a state-level significant waste and resource recovery site.
The plan underwent a six-week public consultation process in July and September 2022, which garnered 5458 visitors to the Hampton Park Hill Casey Conversations Page and 348 downloads of the draft development plan.
The report noted that 99 per cent of submissions objected to the draft development plan, with the majority, 52 per cent, citing odour hazards and impacts as the issue of concern in their submissions.
Other common concerns regarding the plan included truck and traffic hazards and impacts, which was referenced in 39 per cent of submissions, past advice was the area was to be parkland and lack of trust that the plan won’t change, community health hazards, negative impacts on property values, landfill buffer impacts, inadequate community consultation and environmental hazards and impacts.
Submissions were overwhelmingly generated from residents of Lynbrook, forming 57 per cent of submissions, followed by Hampton Park and Narre Warren with 16 per cent and 10 per cent of submissions, respectively.
Council administrators emphasised that a formalised decision on the status of the development plan would be made at a future council meeting in 2023, however, it used the meeting to move a set of recommendations in response to the review of public submissions.
This included the decision to seek further clarification from the State Government, including Environment Minister Ingrid Stitt and Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny, and Recycling Victoria regarding their long-term plans for recycling and waste management in Victoria.
City of Casey administrator Cameron Boardman said a judgement on the Hampton Park HIll Development Plan could not be made without referring to the Victorian Recycling Infrastructure Plan (VRIP) and the Statewide Waste and Resource Recovery Infrastucture Plan (SWRRIP), which outline the future of recycling and waste management in the state.
“It is not a decision, irrespective that the City of Casey is the planning authority in this case, that we can consider unilaterally without taking into consideration what are the statewide priorities of the State Government, what are the legislative obligations of those two critical pieces of legislation that I have referenced and to ensure we are, as the correct and appropriate planning authority, meeting those obligations,” he said.
“We have the obligation to comply with all of the legislative requirements that the State Government ensures councils must comply with regarding recycling and waste management and this is an example of that obligation.”
Casey administrator Miguel Belmar asserted his “mind is not closed in any way” to a future decision on the development plan.
“I note that we’ve had advice from the Metropolitan Waste and Resource Recovery Group, we’ve had advice from Sustainability Victoria and also we are continuing to obtain advice and to have communication with the EPA,” he said.
“On each of those points I’m confident and satisfied that the appropriate work is being undertaken to ensure we have the appropriate information… and when the appropriate time comes, I will consider, as my colleagues will consider, all of that information.”
Community objection to the plan remains palpable, with 54 of 55 public questions in Tuesday’s council meeting referencing the development plan and its perceived impacts.
