The state government has approved a housing development of up to 1,100 homes on an 18.8-hectare former quarry and landfill site in Oakleigh South, overriding council and community concerns about environmental risks.
The proposal: Previously, the site operated as a sand quarry and landfill from the 1950s to the 1990s, with proposals to rezone it for residential development dating back to 2014.
Sterling Global, the property developer behind the project, has proposed a residential community – dubbed Talbot Village – with between 860 and 1,100 dwellings at 1221-1249 Centre Road in Oakleigh South.
The development plan has outlined dwellings would range from two to six storeys, with 10 percent locked off as affordable housing.
What happened? As the responsible authority, Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny has approved a planning scheme amendment to rezone the site for development into a residential and mixed-use neighbourhood.
A letter sent out to interested parties also indicated the minister had endorsed the development plan with a number of conditions.
In a statement, the state government said the project had been “held up by the local council for over a decade”.
What council said: Monash Council said the amendment did not address all of its concerns, including geotechnical and contamination issues, as well as questions over how much public space has been committed to.
Mayor Stuart James rejected any claims the council had single-handedly delayed the redevelopment.
🗣️ “It has always been about ensuring that redevelopment of this complex site is undertaken responsibly, and that people choosing to live there can do so with confidence,” he said.
Local response: Neighbours for Public Green Space Oakleigh South president, Curt Thompson, said local residents were “disappointed” by the decision, arguing the environmental risks outweighed the benefit of delivering housing.
🗣️ “The two losers in this are Monash Council and the community,” he told the Eastern Melburnian.
What’s next? Further planning permits and approvals are required before construction can begin, but the new zoning and development plan are expected to make the project easier to progress.