THE state government has defended a proposal to put train stabling on the former Delta landfill site in Heatherton.
Transport infrastructure minister Jacinta Allan says that the Heatherton site is “the best location for the stabling of Suburban Rail Loop trains. It minimises the compulsory acquisition of homes, businesses and parkland.”
“The Suburban Rail Loop will provide new transport connections, slash travel times and create jobs for residents of Kingston,” Ms Allan said. “The government will work closely with Kingston Council and residents to ensure that the Suburban Rail Loop project enables the chain of parks project to be delivered.”
Late last year the state government announced that it was proposing to use the Heatherton site, bordered by Old Dandenong and Kingston Roads, for stabling yards. The decision prompted fury from Kingston councillors, who last month voted to “absolutely reject” the plan (“Train stabling decision devastated community”, The News, 3/2/21).
The Suburban Rail Loop’s website reads that “the Stage One alignment, including the proposed train stabling at Heatherton, will be subject to an Environment Effects Statement, our state’s most robust planning and environmental assessment and approval process.”
First published in the Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News – 10 February 2021
7 Comments
The Heatherton residents aren’t apposed to the train stable, we are just apposed to it on the chosen site which the community has invested 25 years of their lives to protect from other inappropriate uses, people bought here in good faith of the government’s promise of park and sporting fields. Also Mp Richard Wynne has signed off and said the initial works which are the most intrusive are exempt from the EES, that includes tunnel boring and compaction by repeatedly dropping a 30 tonne weight from 37 meters of hieght 50 meters from homes. The site will also be the epicentre of the tunnel boring machines and its estimated that around 450,000 truck loads of soil will exit from here onto local roads
1. the government has not consulted residents at all
2. this rail yard removes a 34 hectare park from the chain of parks, multiple playing fields, cycling course, public amphitheater, wetlands and more
3. the council were given a choice of two sites, they chose one, and SRL ignored them and went with Heatherton. All while Councillors were forced to sign confidentiality agreements.
4. Environmental Effects statement my arse! All preliminary works have been exempted from all examination so by the time the effects test come around the damage wil have already been done.
5. would an impartial suitability study really put a 24×7 train yard adjacent to residential estates.
6. Where does the soil go
7. what if it is contaminated soil
Do you need more, Jacinta Allan, just more spin from a government pushing a state into spiraling debt
This not the best location for this. Why’ is it? What are the reasons? I’m a resident of Heatherton and if this stabling yard goes ahead this will devastate our community. The damage that will be done will be irreparable. We have been promised by the government that the proposed delta site would be parks and plans were drawn for sporting grounds etc. These are much need in the greater community. Myself like other residents have worked hard to achieve the Aussie dream of owning out own home abs many of us chose to live there due to the urban feel. There is absolutely no benefit to any resident to have this stabling yard. We are car reliant here and have always had to drive to a station and we are happy with this. We have been lied to by the current government and suburban rail loop refuse to talk with any of us. We have had initial testing works going on around is and no one will talk to us. It’s very worrying and we are all anxious and frustrated. It feel like we just don’t matter at Kk
The grab for Heatherton land is the dishonouring of the long held plans of Green Wedge land and the Chain of Parks promise. It is a completely non consultative snatch of land that Kingston Council has spent considerable funds to produce plans for very much needed community sporting fields. There has been no communication with local people on why the Andrews Government has selected Heatherton over the obviously appropriate _Alternate Site _near Heatherton. What Government would choose an industrial train yard literally over the back fences of residents homes? It shows total disrespect for the lives of people of the area. Any elected minister would see that a rail project of this scale must consider as the number one priority, the lives that would be seriously affected by this unnecessary choice.The noise,massive construction vibration study’s say will damage housing, and the MCG type lighting will destroy the long standing tranquility of the area.With not a dollar yet spent of the Andrews Government $25 Million promised for Chain of Parks in this unique area, which is supposed to be directed in part to The Heatherton site ,which has a public Aquisition overlay, Its safe to assume this community may be completely railroaded for an easy land grab. Potentially a wonderful community suburban escape would become a misery for all who come to this place for physical and mental wellness. Who then would take advantage of a rural like trail that would run right alongside an industrial train yard?
Rubbish there are plenty of better locations well away from residents. I can think of 4 straight off. One is in the corner of Boundary rd and Centre Dandenong rd and goes North up to old Dandenong rd, opposite the airport warehouse development.
This site would be a very good site if SRL pursued it as there are no homes. And has well over a 1.5 kilometre buffer to sensitive land uses on all sides.
It has a vacant block on the corner, a paintball place, the abandoned wild buggy place and a small market garden. It would be a cheaper site to develop as it will not need the same remediation or compation and prep work that the Delta site requires. This would be a massive saving.
If it went here, the rail alignment would follow down centre Dandenong rd and could even offer a station at DFO which would be a great selling point for shoppers between DFO and southland
Please read:
https://www.facebook.com/movethetrainyard/
Disappointing of the Victorian state government not to communicate directly and effectively with to the local residents who are affected by this proposal.
A 1-page letter left in the letterbox in December 2020 is very poor.
The government should at least have the courtesy and respect of generously compensating the residents who wish to shift elsewhere as a result of the disruptions and effect that it would have on their current quiet lifestyle.
I’m a resident in Heatherton and if this goes ahead will be catastrophic for residents.
House prices will fall the noise will be distracting and will be heard nikes away
I think the government needs to find a better solution where residential homes are not part of it