By XAVIER SMERDON
POINT Cook and Werribee South residents are fuming they were not informed that up to 3000 homes could be built on one of Wyndham’s most environmentally significant parcels of land.
Earlier this year, it was announced that the Werribee South Green Wedge, bordered by Point Cook, Hacketts and Aviation roads had been highlighted by Wyndham City Council as a possible inclusion within the Urban Growth Boundary.
This would mean that thousands of homes could be built on the once-reserved piece of land, often described along with other green wedges as Melbourne’s lungs.
Earlier this month, infuriated residents affected by the proposal held a meeting and formed an action group to try and stop any kind of development.
Phill Cantone, who lives directly across from the land in question, told Star he was one of the only residents to receive a letter, informing him about the proposal.
“A lot of my neighbours had never heard about it until I did a door knock to find out what they thought about it,” Mr Cantone said.
“I think they intentionally only advised a minimal amount of people.”
Member for Altona Jill Hennessy said the community was right to be concerned about more pressure being added to the already struggling infrastructure in the area.
“Residents want assurance that adequate services and infrastructure will be provided before considering housing development on green wedge land,” Ms Hennessy said.
But Minister for Planning, Matthew Guy, told Star that it would be at least five years before a single home, if any, were built on the land.
“This is where fact and fantasy start to meet,” Mr Guy said.
“Jill Hennessy is misleading, hypocritical and wrong. There is no plan to build 3000 homes there yet, it has simply been proposed that it could be included in the Urban Growth Boundary.”
Mr Guy said new legislation introduced by the Liberal Government, known as Work in Kind, would mean that nothing would be built until it could be guaranteed that the appropriate infrastructure improvements would also be provided.
“I certainly do accept that there are infrastructure issues in that area, but the whole suburb was at one stage green wedge until the former government brought it into the Urban Growth Boundary,” he said.
Residents also accused Wyndham Council of backstabbing them by suggesting the land be included in the growth boundary.
“Council needs to think about the ratepayers who are struggling under this substandard infrastructure,” Mr Cantone said.
“It just shows that they are very arrogant and out of touch with what people are struggling with every day in this area.”
But Wyndham Mayor, John Menegazzo, said the parcel of land had been flagged as a possible inclusion within the growth boundary since 1999.
