THE homeowners of the bushy Adams residential estate, south of Grantville, have won the first round.
But long-time residents like Janet Grimes are still up for the fight.
At last Wednesday’s council meeting, a majority of Bass Coast Shire Councillors heard the objections raised by 58 submitters and rejected an application by Hanson Australia Pty Ltd, to cut down 36 mature native trees in the roadside reserve “to facilitate the construction of pedestrian footpaths and road improvements along Stanley Road… in order to enable critical sand resources to be obtained”.
Mrs Grimes says a lot has changed since Hanson got their original permit in 1996, not the least being the building of 85 homes and the increase in population in the adjoining estate.
“In the 35 years since they made application to establish a sand mine here, the whole environment in this area has changed,” said Mrs Grimes.
“The loss of habitat has been huge. And since the bushfire went through this area, more has been destroyed.
“They’ve already done a lot of clearing up near the mine end and if they did succeed in clearing the road reserve it would be devastating. The wildlife needs these trees and so do we.”
Mrs Grimes said she was thankful of the support shown by Council, saying they’ve had a lot more regard for the impact on the environment in recent years.
“It’s an important step forward but you get the feeling they’ll appeal it,” she said.
“If they want me to turn up at VCAT, I’ll be there.”
Cr Jon Temby led the debate at council last Wednesday, moving an alternative motion for Hanson’s application to be rejected.
He claimed that far from there being just 36 or 37 trees at risk, because of the way the biggest trees were counted, there would actually be “1000s of important habitat plants and trees earmarked for removal”.
He said the existence or likely existence of endangered trees and plants within the area designated for clearing, including the Strzelecki Gum, listed as Vulnerable under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, and Critically Endangered in the Victorian Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988, plus examples of the Cobra Greenhood Orchid (Pterostylis grandiflora) and Green Striped Greenhood (Pterostylis chlorogramma) along the road reserve, part of a colony within the Adams Estate itself, were enough to require an environmental effects statement to be prepared prior to the works going ahead.
“In addition, disturbance of Stanley and McGrady roads is likely to have an impact on the small area nearby where the incredibly rare and critically endangered Tea Tree Fingers Fungus is found,” Cr Temby told the Sentinel-Times this week.
“The bigger picture is that in addition to the individual species at risk, the Swampy Woodland Ecological Vegetation Class (EVC) in the Stanley Road and McGrady Road area is listed as Endangered due to past clearing for agriculture and sandmining.
“Times have changed, enlightened thinking now recognise the value of our biodiversity, especially during Climate Change. We need to take all steps available to us to protect the last vestiges of our Western Port Woodlands,” he said.
He received plenty of passionate support from around the council table.
Cr Tim O’Brien said he didn’t believe “punching a double lane through” was the only solution and urged council to “hit this one out of the park”.
“And let’s just remind ourselves, no one gets a royalty for the sand that’s carried out of Grantville. It just disappears, so that community gets very little compensation for the amount of disturbance from trucks and dust, and I don’t see any ‘Hanson Childcare Centre’ being built in the area.”
Greens councillor Mat Morgan lit up the shire’s livestream coverage saying there should be no controversy about rejecting the application in a climate change crisis.
“You know who can’t submit an application to the council, the 2000 threatened and endangered plants and animals that we are supposed to share the state with,” said Cr Morgan.
But it wasn’t all plain sailing for the campaign to stop the clearing of the roadsides along Stanley and McGrady roads.
Cr Jan Thompson said she was concerned about the cost to council, and to the ratepayers, of rejecting the application, saying it could cost council $20,000 to fight the application at VCAT, also claiming that only 10 of the 58 objections came from Adams Estate residents.
“This sand mining licence and other open licences should have been retrospectively rescinded when the State Government stopped any new sand mining licences in Western Port region. This would have ensured that we as a Council didn’t keep assuming the burden of pointless legal costs.”
Cr Brett Tessari also had reservations about the cost to council if they refused the application.
He said the sand miners would continue to use the road whether it was sealed or not.
“They pay for it or we pay for it and my preference is for them to pay for it,” he said.
Cr Tessari asked if there was still any opportunity for council to negotiate with Hanson about conditions if the application was approved at VCAT, receiving a response in the affirmative from the shire’s manager of major projects Damian Prendergast.
Since last Wednesday’s council meeting however, it has been reported that Hanson Australia has reached out to council for a meeting about their failed application.
