Hello everyone – it is heartening to see that so many of you are committed to maintaining Elwood’s unique built heritage, in the face of what often seems like an unrelenting developer onslaught.  But this is precisely why your support here is so important – it is through actions like this that we can both guide and encourage our elected representatives to make better decisions for our little community, and for the Victorian community as a whole.

The purpose of this update is to share some important information with you.  But first, some background: Council officers initially rejected the application for this development in February after receiving 59 objections from residents.  The basis of the rejection was primarily its failure  to meet the neighbourhood character outcomes sought by the planning scheme. The applicant appealed directly to VCAT and a compulsory conference (aimed at achieving a negotiated settlement) was held on the 24th May, with the hearing scheduled to commence on the 8th July. Part of the case for a group of residents responding to the appeal relies on the heritage character of two of the three buildings that will be demolished if the development goes ahead.  The applicant is aware of this.

The applicant has now submitted a request for a demolition permit. If granted, they are then able to demolish these buildings before the matter is heard at the Tribunal, thereby both diminishing the neighbourhood character (that was the basis of the council’s original rejection) as well as eliminating the heritage argument (that forms part of the resident’s case). This outcome would be a denial of natural justice and would potentially pervert the course of the VCAT hearing.

This part of Elwood is almost completely covered by heritage (H08) overlay but, oddly, the east side of Tiuna Grove is not. This means that granting of the demolition permit, for these three properties, is virtually an automatic process. 

This must not be let go unchallenged.  We are actively looking at all avenues of redress but, without the resources of a big developer and its powerful financial backers, it may be that our only recourse is a political one. So please share this petition with friends, neighbours, school groups sporting clubs etc - any community-based organisation that you may be connected with - in the City of Port Phillip or the Brighton District electorate of the Victorian Legislative Assembly. 

Thank you for your support.