By Allon Lee
ENDANGERED grasslands on Solomon Heights in North Sunshine could be saved after Brimbank City Council resolved to seek a State Government interim protection order.
A council report released at its last meeting two weeks ago stated that 14.4 of the 32.8 hectares at Solomon Heights, were of “state and national significance”.
The council report recommended writing to the state minister for planning to seek an interim environmental protection overlay to prevent the destruction of the grasslands.
The overlay is needed because the privatelyowned grasslands are zoned for industrial development and are under threat, the report stated.
Another compelling reason for the overlay was that significant sections of vegetation had recently been “illegally poisoned”.
An overlay would mean any developments would require a State Government permit to remove native vegetation.
Brimbank deputy mayor Ian Douglas told the council meeting the application was about “putting environmental controls” on the land to “allow us to develop proposals and resolve planning scheme amendments for this significant parcel of land”.
Solomon Heights was identified as one of the areas most threatened by new housing developments in a report released last month by Environment Victoria, the Victorian National Parks Association and the Green Wedges Coalition.
The report — Melbourne’s Native Vegetation Habitats under Threat — said Solomon Heights included “several endangered plant species and a rare habitat link with escarpment shrubland and river red gum woodland”.
Friends of the Maribyrnong Valley spokesman Gordon Duncan told Star Solomon Heights was one of Melbourne’s last environmental jewels.
“In Sunshine North the grasslands is connected to the Maribyrnong River Valley, so you get a continuous ecological transition from the plains grassland through to the escarpment shrubland in the valley right down to the river red gum woodland,” Mr Duncan said.
“For Melbourne, that occurrence of those three habitats in conjunction with a river valley is pretty unique,” he said.
However, Mr Duncan said he doubted whether an environmental overlay could save the Solomon Heights grasslands.
“The problem with environmental significance overlays, which require permits to clear native vegetation, is that there is really no scope for clearing native grassland anymore,” Mr Duncan said.
Before European settlement there were two million hectares of native grasslands in Melbourne, but we’re now down to 2000 hectares, Mr Duncan said.
“What there needs to be is the will to protect it, but really it might already be too late. But even if we say that it is hopeless there has to be some concern and not allow what remains to disappear,” Mr Duncan said.
