WORK on the Kingston portion of the Bay Trail can begin after VCAT ruled last week council’s plan to remove vegetation to build the shared bike and pedestrian pathway can proceed.
Community groups, spearheaded by the Kingston Residents Association, had argued council was removing too much tea tree and scrub to build a one kilometre section of the Bay Trail between Charman Rd and Mentone Life Saving Club.
The car park at the lifesaving club will also be upgraded and expanded as part of the Bay Trail works.
The Kingston Residents Association, Mordialloc-Beaumaris Conservation League and Kingston Conservation & Environment Coalition decided to take their concerns to the planning tribunal late last year (‘Appeal delays Bay Trail’, The News 29/10/14) after mediation with council failed to resolve concerns.
KRA president Maureen Lim said council has ignored a proposal, approved by VicRoads, to narrow Beach Rd laneways to accommodate the Bay Trail without the need for “excessive” vegetation removal.
“We knew doing that [narrowing laneways] would still lead to some vegetation loss … they refused point blank to consider narrowing the lanes,” she said.
Ms Lim said the community groups support the Bay Trail but worry the VCAT decision sets a precedent for vegetation removal along Kingston’s foreshore.
“We are absolutely pleased that the Bay Trail is going to go forward … but I personally believe they [council] fought so hard to make sure the state government decision that everything [foreshore vegetation] is ‘low risk’ so they can take what they like [in future].”
In 2013, the previous Napthine Coalition government reclassified most foreshore vegetation as ‘low risk’, needing no on-ground survey before removal.
“It is unbelievable the resources council threw at us,” Ms Lim said.
Council hired a planning lawyer, two solicitors and called four town planners as expert witnesses to argue their case.
Kingston mayor Cr Geoff Gledhill said council had been discussing the Bay Trail for “near 15-20 years” so VCAT approval to build the Charman Rd to Mentone Life Saving Club section is a “relief”.
“The fact it went to VCAT on vegetation removal was pretty disappointing considering there was offset planting planned.”
Cr Gledhill said the Bay Trail “is such an important community project” and council resources were allocated on that basis.
“When it’s done I think people will be delighted with it.”
About 0.15 hectares of vegetation from the foreshore will be removed during the Bay Trail section construction.
VCAT found “the loss of native vegetation will have a negligible impact on the biodiversity of Victoria” in this instance and “there are no substantive environmental or landscape impacts from the loss of native vegetation”.
First published in the Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News
This article has been amended. The original report stated “about 1.5 hectares of vegetation from the foreshore will be removed during the Bay Trail section construction”. The correct size is about 0.15 hectares.
