JUSTICE will be done for residents affected by Mildura’s controversial $4 million social housing units, according to John Forrest.
The Federal Member for Mallee has vowed to fight tooth and nail to establish why residents living next to the 26 two-storey Deakin Avenue units, were not consulted or allowed to see the plans before construction.
About 20 people – residents living adjacent to the building, local real estate agents, local media and councillors Judi Harris and Max Thorburn – attended a public meeting hosted by Mr Forrest yesterday, outside the units at 183-185 Deakin Avenue. Mr Forrest labelled the building “a disaster,” saying its exterior resembled a birdcage.
The meeting gave residents a chance to publicly voice their concerns and allowed community members to better understand their plight.
Up to 50 Department of Human Services clients are expected to start moving in to the 6.6 metre high building soon.
Mr Forrest said he recognised the urgent need for social housing, but he did not believe these units were built in an appropriate location.
“It has been put in the wrong place and I challenge anybody out there in the community to imagine how they would feel if this thing was placed right next door to their life asset, affecting their amenity and their aesthetics,” Mr Forrest said.
“Imagine how you would feel, particularly if you weren’t consulted in the design process?”
The building towers over neighbouring properties and has affected the value of the homes and the adjacent motel.
Before construction started residents say they were told by Mildura Rural City Council that they could not view plans because it was “a federal project” which was exempt from complying with town planning regulations.
“That is absolute pure unadulterated nonsense,” Mr Forrest said.
“I’m the deputy chair of the Federal Parliament’s public works committee and we insist that federal departments comply with decency and proper standards about town planning.
“This project is a disaster, it’s not federal jurisdiction but I’m sticking my nose in because I spent 20 years as a consulting engineer before parliament and a lot of that was spent in processing proper town planning procedure.
“Something’s gone terribly wrong with this project and I’m quite frankly annoyed.”
The Commonwealth Government-funded project was approved by the former State Government’s planning Minister Justin Madden.
Mr Madden was able to ignore regular planning protocol by having an amendment passed which allowed him to be the planning authority, according to Victorian Minister for Housing Wendy Lovell.
Mr Forrest says that “does not exempt the departments from complying with town planning considerations”.
After the public meeting yesterday residents allowed people to tour their properties.
Some residents met Mildura Rural City Council CEO Mark Henderson to discuss privacy screening and yesterday afternoon two of Minister Lovell’s personnel came to Mildura to discuss privacy aids – plantings, walls and shutters with resident Phil Douglass.
Mr Forrest said he would give residents “maximum support”.
“Whether it’s in my jurisdiction or not, because of my background and experience,” he said.
“The first thing we need to do is establish what went wrong with the proper process?”
Mr Douglass said: “John Forrest is the only person at this point who has given us a decent audience on the matter, everyone else has simply tried to ignore it long enough so the problem will go away.”
This article appeared in Friday's Sunraysia Daily 3-2-2012.
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