By LAURA WAKELY
SUNSHINE residents are lobbying the State Government to stop land at Fraser St being sold for development.
The fight between residents and Melbourne Water has been ongoing since 2009, when Melbourne Water submitted plans to Brimbank City Council to re-zone the land from public space to residential.
Since then, an environmental assessment has revealed there are traces of asbestos, which are below concentration levels that can affect health.
Residents from Fraser St and McIntosh St rallied at a recent council meeting, calling on Brimbank to stop the re-zoning from occurring.
Resident Matthew Schulz said the site was worth more as open space than housing.
“The council may be making sympathetic noises now about protecting the local environment and avoiding the asbestos threat from any development so close to the creek, but unless they take their talk to the minister, Melbourne Water is going to want to be second-rate developers,” Mr Schulz said.
Following in the lead of Sunvale campaigners, Fraser St residents will lobby to have the land gifted to council for them to manage as community parkland, as they did for an excess VicRoads site in Nunawading.
Resident Beverley Aird has lived on Fraser St for 35 years and her family has enjoyed using the space.
She told Star residents feel ownership of the land more acutely, as they regularly mow and maintain the land.
She said hearing land had been gifted to council in other areas of the state gave residents “something to go on”.
“I hope council has enough pull for this to be stopped,” Ms Aird said.
“Melbourne Water seem quite condescending in their remarks, (like) it’s just something they have to go through and it’s a done deal.”
Brimbank City Council’s General Manager Infrastructure and Environment Paul Younis said residents could make submissions to the Melbourne Water proposal after council exhibited it in the coming months.
He said council did not acquire the land in 2009 as it was not identified as a council strategy and would have required a “significant” amount of money.
“Council’s resources have been directed to improving our existing open space, not in acquiring additional land,” Mr Younis said.
Melbourne Water General Manager of Business Services Malcolm Haynes said the organisation would continue to “stringently follow” the planning of Brimbank Council, which he said includes independent assessments and independent recommendations.
Star contacted Water Minister Peter Walsh but received no response before going to print.
