JUNE 4, 2019 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
(Damjan Janevski)
NEWS + SPORT + THE WEST’S BEST PROPERTY GUIDE
The Steve drops anchor in the west The Steve Irwin has found a new home – in Melbourne’s west. Sea Shepherd’s decommissioned flagship vessel, which undertook many anti-whaling and environment missions, will be permanently moored at Williamstown’s Seaworks maritime precinct and is destined to house a restaurant. ■ Goya Dmytryshchak reports on page 11.
Kealba townhouse fight By Tate Papworth Kealba residents have vowed to fight a proposed development of more than 200 townhouses and apartments. A group of concerned residents say the proposed development at the former Kealba Secondary College site, currently before the Brimbank council, is excessive. Kealba Residents Against Over Development spokesperson Laura Muscara said the impact on the community would be unacceptable. “We’re not against development, but we are completely opposed to a development of this
scale and what it will do to the community,” Ms Muscara said. “This plan will see at least 208 townhouses being built on a bulk scale, which is too intense and will impact on the already crowded suburban streets. “It would see more than 1000 new residents and 500 vehicles crowd into the area, which is predominantly housing blocks and detached dwellings. “We want Kealba to remain community friendly,” Ms Muscara said. The Driscolls Road site was zoned General Residential by the Government Land Standing Advisory Committee in 2016.
At the time, Brimbank council said its preferrence for the site was Neighbourhood Residential Zone with lower-density housing. The council said it considered the site inappropriate for high-density development. However, the committee disagreed and determined that solely lower-density housing on the site was an “under-development”. The rezoning decision paved the way for the current development plans. Kealba residents met councillors and St Albans MP Natalie Suleyman last week to voice their concerns about the proposal. Residents are hopeful of achieving a similar
outcome to a proposal for Keilor Park Primary School, in which a community push resulted in a plan to build 72 townhouses scrapped and replaced with 28 individual suburban residential blocks. However, it may face a stumbling block – the Keilor Park site is owned by Development Victoria, a government body, whereas the Kealba site is owned by a private developer. The Kealba Residents Against Over Development has set up a Facebook page to keep residents informed. Details: www.facebook.com/kealbaresidents againstoverdevelopment/