🟠 Waste worries and housing fast-tracked

WHAT’S ON THIS WEEK 🎟️

• THURSDAY 04/12/25 - WEDNESDAY 10/12/25 | Cameo Cinemas Turns 90

• FRIDAY 05/12/25, 6-7PM | Live at the Library - Millie Jane and Gaji

• SATURDAY 06/12/25, 2-6PM | Comedy Among the Ferns

• SATURDAY 06/12/25, 5.30-9.15PM | Monash Carols by Candlelight

• SATURDAY 06/12/25, 6-10PM | Maroondah Carols

• SATURDAY 06/12/25, 9PM-LATE | The Wax Eaters

• SUNDAY 07/12/25, 10AM-4.30PM | Garden of Hope - Open Gardens Victoria

• SUNDAY 07/12/25, 2.30-5PM | Legends of Sunbury

• MONDAY 08/12/25, 7-9PM | Fawlty Towers Dining Experience

• TUESDAY 09/12/25, 7.45-10PM | The Burning Bridges

• COLDSTREAM — EVERY DAY UNTIL 24/12/25; WANDIN — EVERY DAY to 04/01/26, EXCLUDING CHRISTMAS DAY | Cherry Picking @ Cherry Hill Orchards

📰 THIS WEEK’S HEADLINES

Victoria’s fast-tracked housing code comes to Doncaster East with approval of 30 two-storey townhouses

With changes to the state’s planning laws now allowing fast-tracked medium density home development, Manningham Council has had no choice but to vote in favour of the development of 30 two-storey townhouses in Doncaster East – despite it requiring the removal of 29 mature canopy trees.

Approved in March, the state government’s Townhouse and Low Rise Code mean local councils are unable to consider their own residential and local policies as long as the majority of government-imposed standards are met.

If all of the applicable standards are met as part of a development application, neighbours – or those opposed to a development – have no right to appeal a council’s decision.

During the meeting on Tuesday November 25, Manningham Council approved a development at 35-41 Taunton Street in Doncaster East, which includes townhouses up to 7.9 metres high, two car spaces per dwelling and replanting of new canopy trees.

Manningham councillor Geoff Gough said he had “very grave concerns” for the safety and amenity of developments set to come before the council under the new code.

Manningham councillor Anna Chen was the only opposing vote, saying increased protection for canopy trees was needed instead of diminished protections.

“Climate change further increases the stress on our trees,” said Chen.

Manningham Council’s officers determined the application met all but one of the eight applicable standards under the new code, showing a “high degree of compliance”.

The breach involved vehicle accessway plans encroaching the protection zones of two existing trees by more than the maximum 10 percent threshold.

However, council officers determined the excavation required would have an “acceptable” impact on the trees’ roots.

Under the new code, this failure means objectors will be able to appeal the development.

Read more below:

What’s to be done about 376 old, leaking septic tanks in Manningham?

Septic tanks being discharged into stormwater drains have helped push the risk to human health from water channels like Mullum Mullum Creek to high, with 376 Manningham properties deemed to be non-compliant.

A septic tank is an onsite wastewater management system which treats or otherwise houses wastewater from a property, including water and human waste from showers, toilets and sinks.

Pumping out a septic tank generally costs between $300 and $800 per service – or about $320 if serviced every three years and calculated as an annual cost.

On November 25, Manningham Council voted to approve an updated Onsite Wastewater Management Plan, detailing actions to take until 2030.

In areas which recently received new sewerage systems, homeowners have decided to keep using 577 old septic tank systems instead of making the change to the new pipes.

Between 1970 and 1998, homes without access to Melbourne’s main sewerage network were legally allowed to install systems that discharge untreated greywater from sources like showers or sinks and/or treated toilet waste into stormwater drains.

However, Manningham Council has identified 376 systems are non-compliant with current standards.

Yarra Valley Water (YVW) is currently working on designs for a new sewerage system for Park Orchards and parts of Ringwood North, with construction expected to commence in late 2027.

Manningham Council director of city planning and liveability Andrew McMaster said the council “remains committed to encouraging property owners to connect to the main sewerage network if they have the option”.

Read more below:

SEEN THIS WEEK 🤓

You scratch my back…

The National Account reporter Archie Milligan took a deeper look into why the “jobs for mates” problem within the Federal Government.

Watch the video below to find out more.

Food fuelling power push

Beyond rotting in landfill or used for home-based compost, Lilydale now has a facility that converts food waste into energy.

Developed by Yarra Valley Water, the facility recently received its first delivery of commercial food waste.

Local food producers and distributors can now deliver organic waste to the Lilydale site, where it is processed inside sealed tanks known as digesters to create biogas, which is used to generate renewable electricity.

The site is expected to start generating renewable electricity in early 2026 and reach full capacity during 2027.