Housing boom set for Trafalgar
Residential land is set to expand in Trafalgar with Baw Baw Shire supporting a 324 lot subdivision south of the Princes Hwy.
Council has issued a notice of decision to grant a permit for the new estate which extends the town's current boundary west of Dodemaids Rd.
The application, submitted by Planning Central on behalf of developers The Range, shows a 324 lot subdivision over a 41 hectare property in Princes Hwy and School Rd. The estate includes three drainage reserves and a public open space reserve.
Councillors approved the application despite calls from objectors for a more environmentally sustainable subdivision design.
The proposed lots are between 500 square metres and 1622 square metres, an average lot size of 746 square metres and a density of 9.6 lots net developable area.
The subdivision includes three roads that will link into a future residential estate extending further west to Sunny Creek Rd.
Access from Dodemaids Rd into the new estate also is proposed via an existing road reserve and a roundabout will be constructed at the Dodemaids and School Rds intersection.
A 3.2 hectare drainage reserve will be developed adjacent to the Princes Hwy while a 7822 square metre open space reserve will be created in the centre of the subdivision.
There were six objections to the subdivision which largely related to the impact of stormwater on houses north of the railway line, drainage concerns and traffic management issues on existing road networks.
Objectors said the town's schools, roads and infrastructure could not handle 700 new houses and also requested a walk and bike path be included connecting Sunny Creek Rd and Dodemaids Rd via the Princes Hwy.
Tony Stewart told council the site was a "potential toxic bomb" because sub surface soil and groundwater north of the former tip site had never been tested for contaminants.
"My concern is that the soil in the development will be considerably disturbed during construction and then have up to 300 families living on top of it," he said.
Cr Murray Cook called for sustainably designed subdivisions, saying Trafalgar and yarragon communities did not want the Warragul and Drouin standard of development in their towns.
"Well designed developments will have an effect on the rural character of our towns and also enhance the value of existing real estate.
"We know we can't stop progress but we can demand the infrastructure that should accompany it," he said.
On behalf of the developer, Glenn Kell of Planning Central said the land had been identified for residential development for many years.
He said a lot of work had been undertaken with expert reports being obtained addressing civil infrastructure, traffic and linkages and bushfire risk.
He said the drainage plan had been developed specific for the development.
Cr Peter Kostos said expert planning and engineering consultants had considered the application and supported the proposal.
He said retardation basins and wetlands had proven very successful in holding back water and runoff.
Cr Kostos said there was a 300 metre buffer to the Trafalgar landfill site, that had previously been capped and tested.
Cr Darren Wallace said there was a need for residential land in the town. "There isn't a block of land for sale in the town at the moment."
He said he understood the concerns about the old tip but "let's hope there are no contaminated soil issues in the future."
Cr Wallace said he was not a drainage engineer but he had read the report and he believed the drainage basins would "go some way in alleviating some of Trafalgar's flooding issues more broadly."