Mordialloc Beaumaris Conservation League – Minutes – 4th October 2017

Mordialloc Bypass

Five members of VicRoads attended the October meeting plus two members of the Braeside Park Committee.This commenced at 3pm and was a robust discussion. The 9km stretch of four lane freeway (with provision for two extra lanes later) runs adjacent to the Braeside Park boundary and encroaches on the South West corner of the park before crossing Governor Road and entering the wetlands to an elevated road. There is significant vegetation in this section. Passing in close proximity to the Waterways Residential estate as an elevated roadway will create noise issues requiring sound barriers adding to the visual impact. The elevated road will cross the Mordialloc Creek and passover Aspendale Gardens homes before joining Springvale Road.

The meeting concluded at 4pm. Since then there has been an invitation to walk a section of the route with the VicRoads people at a date still to be decided.

Coast and Creek Booklet

The Coast and Creek booklet has been printed and copies have been placed at the front desk of the Council Chambers with Kingston Council’s approval. It is planned to place some in the Parkdale Library and in some schools if they are interested. There is some concern about the Mornington Peninsula Freeway crossing Mordialloc Creek because of disturbance of acid sulphate soil that will occur during construction work with pollution entering the creek.

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Mordialloc Beaumaris Conservation League – Minutes – 6th September 2017

Coast and Creek Booklet

The booklet has been printed and is available for perusal! It is Planned ot place some booklets in the local library and with Council. We are indebted to the graphic artist who took some marvellous photos of plants and bird life along the foreshore and Mordialloc Creek. We are also indebted to Melbourne Water whose earlier grants helped to cover the cost of printing.

Bay Trail

Bicycle Network have approved the compromise proposal for the Bay Trail. There will be areas where Beach Road lanes will be narrowed to protect significant vegetation. From Mentone Parade to Peter Scullin Reserve, Mordialloc the lanes will be narrowed where there are bus stops or difficult parking problems on the narrow foreshore such as at Parkdale Yacht Club.

Kingswood Golf Club

The Kingswood Golf Club is under treat from developers. The Kingswood Golf Club is facing residential development rather than open space which is what the Dingley residents were hoping for. A certain person mentioned at the lobster luncheon at Beaumaris is seeking permission to develop land in the green wedge in Keysborough. The large cemetery is still a threat hanging over this section of the South East Green Wedge.

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Mordialloc Beaumaris Conservation League – Minutes – 3rd August 2017

Coast and Creek Booklet

The coast and creek booklet may finally be at the printers thanks to the terrific work of Mick and eagle-eyed editors! There was some discussion about asking for a gold coin donation for the booklet. There were differing opinions but on some occasions such as street stalls or community events this might be appropriate.

Bay Trail

The new newspaper on the block, the Mordialloc Chronicle, features tree pages of “advertisements” of the disinformation about the next section of the Bay Trail from the Mentone Lifesaving Club to Peter Scullin Reserve. For example the ad claims that Beach Road will be narrowed from Renninson Street to the Scullin Reserve. Not True.

Level Crossing Removal

There will be 8 community sessions to decide on work to remove the rail crossings, Edithvale to Seaford. Seaford residents are angry about the closure of Ell Race Road when it is claimed that there are feasible alternatives to the closure. There is also the threat to groundwater and the wetlands should the trench method be adopted for this section of the Frankston line.

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Mordialloc Beaumaris Conservation League – Minutes – 7th June 2017

Level Crossing Removal

The Edithvale Wetlands may be at risk according to two consultants reports. Chosen to review the Government’s preferred option in the level crossing removal programme the report states that trenching required for the rail line may cause groundwater to build up. This will have to be disposed of by Melbourne Water pumping water to the Ramsar listed wetlands, or elsewhere, which in turn could alter water levels causing detriment to vegetation used by birds for nesting or if the water becomes acidic or saline this could also harm bird life.

Mordialloc Bypass

Mordialloc Bypass will not only affect housing in Waterways and Aspendale Gardens but is intruding into and removing a section of Braeside Park. Residents in Dingley are concerned about this development as are Moorabbin residents because of the impact that the proposed freeway will have on the already heavily congested South Road where it enters the Nepean Highway in Moorabbin.

Bay Trail

Plans for the trail went to Council once again, Monday 16th June. Due to the interference of the Member for Mordialloc who claimed that he had not been consulted about the bike track, and his appeal to the Roads Minister, further council consultation was undertaken thereby giving Mentone Beach Road residents the opportunity to “snow” VicRoads who then wrote to Kingston CEO, 26 April, implying that “the majority of correspondence received from the community (guess who) relates to to loss of parking on Beach Road versus vegetation retention.” The result is that Council planners have provided a compromise which involves providing 76 parking spaces between Mentone Lifesaving and Mentone Parade – unfortunately the section of foreshore with the most significant vegetation. The Traffix Group study states that “based on our site inspection there will be a significant level of vegetation clearing and earthworks to achieve the proposed 4.2m wide envelope from the proposed kerb line. However should the vegetation be required to be retained, the proposed 2.7m path would provide for the minimum operating envelopes.”.

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Mordialloc Beaumaris Conservation League – Minutes – 3rd May 2017

Bay Trail

As a result of the Member for Mordialloc’s complaint that there had been insufficient consultation about the trail, two MBCL members had a meeting with the member who could not be convinced that there had been sufficient consultation. Council organised two more drop in meetings about the Bay Trail in May. Meanwhile inflammatory misinformation about lane narrowing was still being disseminated by certain residents.
Latest plans for the Bay Trail were presented at the Public Places and Environment meeting in May and were impressive. The bicycle lane, back of kerb, will only be 2.5m wide, similar to the Bayside Bay Trail. VicRoads have approved narrowing the road lane where necessary such at bus stops.

Stormwater Management

Kingston Council has prepared Amendment C152 to introduce a policy for developments that deals with stormwater – residential or non-residential. This may be necessary because an article in The AGE 23 May, reports that climate change flood risks has doubled in new modelling which states that “Coastal council are at the forefront of dealing with the impacts especially councils such as Seaford, Carrum, Bonbeach and Aspendale”.

Level Crossing Removal

Edithvale rail under road. This option has been approved. Residents opposed to elevated rail option. Unfortunately the high water table will have to be dealt with. A Preliminary Impact Assessment: Groundwater-Rail Under Road AECOM-GHD has identified potential groundwater impacts on the Ramsar listed Edithvale-Seaford Wetlands as a result of the rail under road approach adopted for Edithvale and Bonbeach level crossing removals.

Some of these imparts are:

  • Long term groundwater level impacts (drawdown, mounding, and water logging)
  • Subsidence impacts
  • ASS acid sulphate activation
  • Saline intrusion

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Mordialloc Beaumaris Conservation League – Minutes – 5th April 2017

Coast and Creek Booklet

Mordialloc Creek features in the Coast and Creek booklet which is developing in an interesting manner. It is hoped that the graphic artist will be able to attend the May meeting of MBCL. Furthermore an attendee at the April meeting is a keen bird watcher so he might be able to add further info in that area.

Level Crossing Removal

There is an official report around which claims that the Edithvale-Seaford Wetland’s groundwater will be badly affected if the trench method of removing rail crossings is adopted for the Frankston line south of Aspendale. This would mean trenches for Edithvale and Bonbeach stations and a bridge over Patterson River for Carrum plus a relocation of the Carrum Station further along the line.

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Mordialloc Beaumaris Conservation League – Minutes – 8th March 2017

Coast and Creek Booklet

The layout of the booklet is finally taking shape with the graphic artist keen to view any photos of the creek or the foreshore providing there are clouds in view!

Yammerbook Nature Reserve

Residents do not want an extension to the car park since they feel that there will be antisocial behaviour after hours if the park is extended. Certain councillors are also uncertain about extending this facility mainly favouring parents dropping off and picking up school children. There is a bus stop nearby on Wells Road.

The Sporting Globe

The mediation meeting was held at VCAT in February. No agreement between parties so this development will go to VCAT in March. The only concession made was reduction in the size of the sign on the front of the building.

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Mordialloc Beaumaris Conservation League – Minutes – 1st February 2017

Mordialloc Creek

Interestingly after heavy rain beaches around Port Phillip Bay were polluted particularly Mentone beach and not so much Mordialloc beach – the usual culprit. Mordialloc creek carries drainage from industrial areas in Braeside and the old tipping sites from which leachates can enter the drainage system and flow into the creek. On this occasion perhaps the large Melbourne Water drain outlet at Mentone Parade may have contributed to beach pollution with drainage entering the Bay at this point and flowing northwards to Mentone beach.

Mordialloc Lifesaving Club

Had a quick inspection of the new LSC and found that there is more concrete surrounding the building than expected. Apparently this is to provide entry and parking for the large surf boats that will be stored in the building- one of the main reasons for the size of the building occupying limited foreshore open space. The large rusty looking iron ramp construction will require removal of more foreshore vegetation early in the New Year when it is to be delivered and placed in position. Fortunately the south end of the building has been left unconcreted and hopefully will remain a pleasant grassed area for public use. The nicest aspect of the inspection was seeing a little family of blue wrens hopping around in the dry grassy area!

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Mordialloc Beaumaris Conservation League – Minutes – 7th December 2016

Happy New Year to All

Let’s hope it is a peaceful and environmentally satisfying year as well. Trust everyone has had a chance to rest and relax in preparation for coping with the outrageous rants from the occupant of the white house. What a contrast to the calm, gracious, intelligent former occupant.

Good News

It seems that the EPA has been given teeth at last to cope with pollution hazards. 21 problem sites have been listed in Kingston. There are 298 sites on the Priority Sites Register where clean up notices have been issued due to pollution of groundwater and land – a potential risk to health and the environment. This problem is due to Kingston being historically home to landfill sites 17 of which are now on the Priority list to be cleaned up.

Grange Heathland Reserve

Penny reported that gas extractors from nearby landfill sites are being located in the Grange which is a carefully managed Nature Reserve. Surely a more suitable site could be found for the extractors.

Mordialloc Bypass Project

Due to pressure from Aspendale Gardens Residents Association the extension to the Mornington Peninsula Freeway is back on the agenda despite less expensive alternatives . Impact on Braeside Park and Waterways with an elevated roadway over Mordialloc Creek is concerning. Discussion when Walter and Jenny Warfe met with Government officers recently was congenial. The freeway is not a high priority for the Government.

Mordialloc Creek  

Interestingly after heavy rain beaches around Port Phillip Bay were polluted particularly Mentone beach and not so much Mordialloc beach – the usual culprit. Mordialloc creek carries drainage from industrial areas in Braeside and the old tipping sites from which leachates can enter the drainage system and flow into the creek. On this occasion perhaps the large Melbourne Water drain outlet at Mentone Parade may have contributed to beach pollution with drainage enterting the Bay at this point and flowing northwards to Mentone beach.

Mordialloc Life Saving Club

Had a quick inspection of the new LSC and found that there is more concrete surrounding the building than expected. Apparently this is to provide entry and parking for the large surf boats that will be stored in the building- one of the main reasons for the size of the building occupying limited foreshore open space. The large rusty looking iron ramp construction will require removal of more foreshore vegetation early in the New Year when it is to be delivered and placed in position. Fortunately the south end of the building has been left unconcreted and hopefully will remain a pleasant grassed area for public use. The nicest aspect of the inspection was seeing a little family of blue wrens hopping around in the dry grassy area!

Yammerbook Nature Reserve

A car park of 34 spaces is proposed for this reserve but residents are concerned feeling that additional parking is for the benefit of parents dropping off and picking up children at the nearby school and that after hours, antisocial behaviour is likely to increase in the park. A bus stop on Wells Road is an alternative means of reaching the park or the school.

Esplanade Brighton

The partial demolition and works to the existing blue stone wall, and removal of native/indigenous vegetation has distressed a dedicated group of Bayside residents because of the impact on the dunes and vegetation which has been described as being “ so precious, so conservationally valuable that not a square metre of them should be disturbed.” (Brighton’s other golden mile.in the Age 26 Nov. 2016)

Unfortunately Bayside Council has decided to grant a permit with four pages of conditions . The plans must show that removal of indigenous vegetation is to be replaced with a similar extent of indigenous coastal vegetation , etc , along these lines. The proposal to replace the lifesaving club with a larger building wasn’t discussed in this document.

George Woods Reserve Playground

The playground is underway with the Moreton Bay Fig Tree still in place. It apparently will not be removed although we have been assured that all new planting in the area will be locally indigenous. Nina claims that extra lighting is not needed around the playground because of the high towers lighting the rail siding nearby. Toilets will not be provided for the playground because of cost and difficulty of sewage work. Toilets at the Chute Street boat ramp will have to be used –which is why we claimed that a site closer to these facilities would have been the best location for the playground and would have left the Arboretum intact.

Level Crossing Removals

A meeting of the Public Places and Environment Committee was held 14 December 2016 at Council to discuss this proposal. Two academics from RMIT,supporters of

Sky Rail, were present and spoke as did a member of the Frankston anti- sky rail group. Both had convincing arguments for their positions. Some feel that an elevated rail line in surroundings that are predominantly low rise housing will blight the suburbs south of Mordialloc Creek, but the high water table in this area will create drainage problems –apart from the Bonbeach to Carrum section of the line which will have to be elevated to cross Patterson River. The three completed trenched stations, Bentleigh,Mackinnon and Ormond are extremely ugly and will become more so because the State Government has decreed that Ormond station will have a 10-16 storey building on top of the station – and other stations may have four storey buildings above the station.

Bay Trail

Cr West has presented a motion to council requesting that the proposed indented parking areas along this section of the back- of –kerb bike track be removed from the plans.

Mordialloc Beaumaris Conservation League Inc

Mordialloc Beaumaris Conservation League – Minutes – 7th September 2016

Inland Rail Line

Wal and J.Warfe have produced a detailed 26 page document outlining the advantages of building a freight line inland from Melbourne to Brisbane. This would reduce truck traffic using the highways at present.The report will be sent to politicians.

Mordialloc Creek

Further to the saga of Pompei’s Landing enquiries were made with Melbourne Water as to what would be required should Kingston Council proceed with the Mordialloc Structure Plan for this area. These plans included a two-storey restaurant on the water’s edge of the creek bank –a narrow strip of land used for boat maintenance and launching. Advice given was that because one of Melbourne Water’s roles is flood control and drainage a 30 metre buffer would be required for this land from the creek bank inland. The intensive development outlined in the planning document for this small piece of Crown land would destroy the fishing village atmosphere that has attracted so many artists and visitors to Mordialloc over the decades.

Masonic Hall

The partly renovated hall was open for interested parties to inspect on the 8th September. Nina attended and advised that although few people attended, there was keen interest from one group. The hall would be ideal for them should their bid be accepted. However, the $400,000 that council set aside to complete the renovations, was diverted by Cr Gledhill for use on sporting ovals. Now whoever’s offer is accepted will be responsible for the remainder of the renovations.

Council Elections

Bronwen once again organised an aspiring candidates questionnaire and meeting. Twenty five people attended with some young people planning to stand. Former and present councillors also attended and will stand again. Council business is now held over until a new council is elected.

Green Wedge

Cr West asked that Council strengthen Enforcement Laws for the South East Green Wedge and submitted a list of uses and infringements that have not been checked by council enforcement officers.

It is depressing to realise, that despite Minister Richard Wynne claiming in his letter to Council that he has no intention of changing the Urban Growth Boundaries, a change of Government, or influx of pro-development councillors in future means that pressure for development in the Green Wedge could still occur.

Invasive Animals on Crown Land

Nina has written a comprehensive paper on the Terms of Reference for this inquiry. Deers, horses, foxes,rabbits,feral pigs and goats. Deers do cause havoc in the forested areas around Melbourne. Protected species also cause problems as residential development encroaches on the outskirts of Melbourne. A wombat has taken up residence under a relative’s house in Healesville and feasts off the keen gardener’s plants while a flock of twenty kangaroos can be seen leaping gracefully over paddock fences to enjoy the crop on the other side. Meanwhile in established suburbs residents experiment with methods of deterring possums who virtually kill healthy, mature tea-trees and other trees planted for environmental reasons, one being shade and shelter in the increasingly hot summers we will be facing in the not to distant future.

Gambling Increase in Kingston

due to two forthcoming developments. The proposed lease of Council land- Moorabbin Reserve to the St Kilda football club- will include in the new sporting facilities, 83 poker machines. Approval of gaming machines contravenes Council Gaming Policy which states “ Additional EGM’s or new venues should not be located in areas where activities are focused on children or young people.” It is estimated that 15,000 young people (18-24 year olds) will access this development. This sporting venue will create enormous traffic problems in the narrow streets and for local residents living close-by.

The other gambling facility likely to eventuate in Mordialloc, replacing a useful discount shop, is a Sporting Club Bar and Grill providing a “family friendly restaurant.” The main purpose of this club is sale of alcohol and gambling. Open from 7am to 2am.

Aboriginal Artefacts at Development Site

Cr West asked council officers to provide a report about whether this is a significant site, what council can do to preserve this important heritage site from the approved development, why no information about the discovery of these artefacts was provided in the officer report to councillors and whether these artefacts could be preserved for display?

Bay Trail

BIOSIS has completed yet another survey of the significant section of the Bay Trail from the Mentone Lifesaving Club to the Edgewater Hotel. Four options were presented. The fourth option claimed that the back of kerb trail for that section would create less destruction of the significant vegetation. As work continues from Mentone Parade to Mordialloc Creek much of the vegetation along side Beach Road will be destroyed. A public survey found that 80% of respondents wanted a back of kerb route so that the cliff top tracks could used by pedestrians without bicycle traffic.A back-of-kerb trail similar to the Bayside Bay Trail, was always MBCL’s preferred option although a mix of trails in this last section would have preserved more vegetation.

Mordialloc Beaumaris Conservation League Inc