heritage listing is meaningless as heritage property is bulldozed

Greens MLC Sue Pennicuik

Greens spokesperson for Roads and Ports and member for Southern Metropolitan Region, Sue Pennicuik expressed dismay today as Linking Melbourne Authority (LMA) brought forward its plans to bulldoze part of the heritage listed Westerfield property, despite an appeal, which could result in less of the land being needed, still pending.

"I understand that the Frankston Council will be considering a motion tonight to ask LMA to wait for the outcome of the appeal," Ms Pennicuik said. "If LMA goes ahead today regardless, then that shows all Victorians that there is no due process when it comes to the road lobby.

"We now know that Heritage Victoria listing on a property or piece of valuable bushland is totally meaningless because 1) a permit can still be granted to bulldoze a freeway through them, and 2) even though an appeal has been lodged under the legislation, works can still proceed despite the appeal still pending," she said.

"The whole process around this unnecessary and expensive freeway has been flawed from the start when the consideration of public transport and other viable road upgrade options were excluded from the EES study," she said. "The Peninsula Link is little more than a 'make work' project for the LMA. It should have been abandoned when it became clear how much biodiversity will be lost along its 22km route, including habitat for the southern brown bandicoot at the Pines Flora and Fauna Reserve."

"Now we hear that Joyce and Simon Welsh, owners of the historic Westerfield property in the Green Wedge south of Frankston, were notified that clearing will begin today, on 2.656 ha of the pristine remnant bushland on their property," she said. "The proposed freeway alignment will destroy most of the remnant bushland including a dam immediately south of Robinson's Road, which provides habitat for the Great Egret and other visiting birds. This should never have been allowed under the heritage listing."

I call on the Transport Minister Tim Pallas and Environment Minister Jennings to halt the bulldozing until the Heritage Council makes its decision and until vegetation offsets are in place. The Heritage Council decision could see the reduction of the area of bushland to be destroyed and could require compliance with conditions regarding the minimisation of vegetation removal and the relocation of rare plants.

"Last month, I visited the Willow Road Reserve after known populations of sugar gliders, birds and arboreal frogs were deprived of habitat or killed and hollow trees marked for retention or relocation as habitat trees were destroyed," she said.