Save Dandenong Foothills • Save Ferny Creek Trail!

Ferny Creek Trail is a 'wildlife corridor' in Upper Ferntree Gully, next to a National Park. Here there are Rosellas, King Parrots, Kookaburras, Owls and Eagles, in trees and sky. On green paths, Cockatoos and wild ducks sometimes greet passers-by, Blue-tongues and Echidnas cross backyards.

      Yet this is fast disappearing, Knox Council gave permit to a high-density Developer, (also secretly placing his commercial carpark over Ferny Creek Trail). 

58 Objections were received during pandemic lockdown, from 53 households, yet Knox Council stated only 47 households, thus preventing any Community Consultation (triggered by 50 Objector households) on plan P/2020/6431. The missing included Save the Dandenongs League's objection. 

Residents then raised $5000, fighting for a year against Knox Council's destruction of Melbourne's Dandenong Foothills. Knox Environment Society helped, recognising that canopy trees, although not native, are important to wildlife. Our VCAT Court representative had fought for Gilmour Reserve, to save the platypus' at Monbulk, and many environmental causes.

In Court it was revealed that the Trail fence-line was absent from the planning documents, keeping the public unaware that the Developer's carpark was over Ferny Creek Trail. Many schoolchildren, walkers, bike-riders, families, all ages, use this trail. Residents were not accorded equal time or a fair hearing. Knox Council's lawyer told untruths supporting the Developer's lawyer.

      The building size and traffic congestion make crossing dangerous, there is a bus-stop out front and the narrow street beside is already at '100 percent occupancy'. Parking problems create a high probability of car accidents. Knox Council's own reports stated traffic concerns that were ignored, as was the request to remove a single carpark that harms next-door. The only 'disabled' carpark is not legal size for a wheelchair. This is the main route out for hill-siders in a bushfire area; and is just a few metres from properties with Environmental Significance Overlay. 

       The Developer is a 'one-stop-shop' - buying land, getting permit, building, and then re-selling. Advertising internationally this building as both 'Commercial and High-Density Residential', where no-one, not Council, not the VCAT judge, has seen an internal plan. Knox Council stated falsely that the tobacco-franchise owned 'Medical Centre' would have set hours. VCAT informed that any Medical Centre can operate 24-hours without a permit. Upper Ferntree Gully is already well-serviced by a large public hospital.  High-density, noisy air-con, bright lights, traffic congestion, is fatal for wildlife.

       1 Mount View Road, Upper Ferntree Gully, corner of Dawson Street, is one corner property oddly-zoned Commercial in a Residential block of family homes. Opposite are homes and three small medical businesses - in vintage houses. Once these two streets had many railways homes, now they are few and treasured by their owners and the community. Melbourne's environmentally-sensitive Dandenong Foothills will lose much special charm, its 'village feel', by decimating habitat and native birds.

       At VCAT Knox Council's lawyer stated this building 'fits' Knox Council's future plans, showing illustrations of the heritage and 1940s railway homes demolished for office blocks, saying residents cannot expect neighbourhood 'character and amenity'. (Knox Council re-zoned the homes and medical small-businesses, including one long-recommended for heritage protection, against owners' wishes and welfare.) 

       We fought for neighbourhood character, Ferny Creek Trail, native birds, wildlife, canopy trees, Australian livelihoods, to keep beauty, health and life in the Dandenong Foothills, for all Melbournians who love wild lives and a unique place. 

       Detailed reporting of the missing resident Objections to the Local Government Inspectorate was assigned an 'Inspector' working for neighbouring Whitehorse Council during the planning - an associate of Knox Councillors and Knox Governance. This 'Inspector' did not declare his conflict of interest, did not refer our case to an unbiased investigator, did not contact us, before abruptly closing the case without investigation. Allowing Knox Council to remove counted/tabled Objections, to add in the missing ones we found - to re-shuffle figures - proving to be no integrity 'watchdog'.

      Knox councillors are not required to read resident objections. Emailing every councillor about the discrepancy in figures before vote, only one of nine requested the incomplete Objections file, not one asked for correct figures, not one questioned Knox Council Planning's actions.

        Councils making deals with developers which deny Community Consultation and transparency are killing our wild life, decimating canopy trees and habitat, hastening climate change and making a future where people and animals cannot thrive. When wild life lose their homes, we lose healthy places, we cannot replace what is gone. Lives cannot be revived and 'wildlife corridors' cannot be restored.    

                        

1 Mount View Road, Upper Ferntree Gully

Some houses opposite that Knox Council lawyer says

will not exist in Council's future plans, against owners' wishes

Design and SDF logo — Sebastian White Story — Ashlley

Native king parrot was recorded next to the site, at the corner of Mount View Rd and Dawson St, Upper Ferntree Gully, Victoria, Australia.

Knox Council Meeting 21 Dec 2020, where the vote was made to take Ferny Creek Trail, from the wild life and the public, for a carpark. Press 6.3 below for exact place: http://webcast.knox.vic.gov.au/archive/video20-1221.php

Update: 25th of May 2021. Knox Council lost at least six Objections from the Council file. There were 58 Objections, from 53 households. Council stated only 47 households, thus preventing any Community Consultation (triggered by 50 Objectors) on this plan P/2020/6431 .

In May, Knox finally admitted to leaving out four Objectors but immediately invalidated three other counted Objectors, again fitting figures to their actions. (Council claimed three had online faults, although they never told the Objectors, and sent them letters that they were Objectors.) No replies have been received from Knox CEO, the Director of Integrity & Strategy or the Mayor.

The above Update was written before VCAT hearing Sept/Oct 2021 - Outcome Nov 21.

The Knox Planner has been elevated to a higher position in a neighbouring Council.

Postscript: On the 19th of March 2021 on Ferny Creek Trail, this hundred year old healthy Pine Tree, seen for many miles was destroyed by four Council choppers claiming it was dead. Not protected for its age, shade, beauty, for our breathing, and for wild birds, as it was not a native Australian tree. Canopy Trees cannot be replaced in our lifetimes. Knox Council already has less canopy than Whitehorse Council (govt report 2018)