WHITEHORSE PARK LAST OPTION FOR SEWER MINE
Eram Park (7.7 Hectares) under the jurisdiction of Whitehorse council, now appears the only likely site for the location of Yarra Valley Water’s Sewer Mining Plant after Manningham Council refused to locate it
The challenge now for YVW is to convince (Click on photo to enlarge) Whitehorse it should agree to give up a large area of parkland for the construction of a Sewer Mining Plant, for the sole use of a municipality who have just rejected it, with no benefit whatsoever to its ratepayers. The function of the SMP will involve the removal and treatment of raw sewage
from the main sewer line before it reaches the treatment plan. The sewage is then treated to produce high quality recycled water which will then be pumped approximately two kilometers through a network of pipes across outer Manningham to service the new developments on Doncaster Hill. Each development will have a mandated “third pipe” to accept metered recycled water for laundry and toilet flushing purposes, this avoids high reticulation costs normally associated with recycled water schemes as the recycled water is produced at its source. The plan to install a treatment plant was the result of a MOU agreement between YVW and Manningham council, back in 2008-9, during an extremely dry period which was later to motivate the state government’s decision to build the desalination plant.
The third pipe scheme was originally planned to source its water from a treatment plant located to the west of Doncaster Hill where a suitable site was to be located on parkland adjacent to the golf links estate.
Later there were three alternate options considered, namely the Park and Ride area, Ruffy Lake Park and Tram Road reserve.
Council officers discarded three of the sites and selected Tram Road reserve but were later to reject YVW’s application for a building permit submitted in 2012 on the following grounds:
The proposal represents an unacceptable loss of parkland area;
The operation of the proposal will result in an unacceptable reduction in the functionality of the parkland area;
The proposal represents an unacceptable impact on existing native vegetation;
The visual impact of the proposed buildings and works represents an unacceptable amenity impact on local parkland and on local neighbourhood character.
Council undertakes not to lease or sell its land in Koonung for a Recycled Water or Sewerage Treatment Plant.
4 Comments
YVW have the power to compulsory acquire land if they choose to so why can’t they take a chunk of Manningham’s Ruffy Park which is huge and well away from houses? Why should Whitehorse residents have to lose parkland to accommodate a sewer plant they did not ask for, with no possible benefit, just because of Manningham’s incompetence? It is typical of Manningham to do everything back the front, you would think they would get permission from its councillors first and have the location of the site already approved before signing an agreement with YVW and before spending thousands of dollars of ratepayers funds promoting it.
Tich
They “rushed in where angels dare to tread”. It was an overreaction to the drought and gleefully accepted as an opportunity to be used as a propaganda tool for the promotion of Doncaster Hill as the first Activity Centre to adopt such a scheme.
The first decision to build the sewer plant next to the Eastern Golf Course, made without consulting the Club’s secretary, had to be abandoned. They hadn’t realised that it would severely undermine the chances of the EGC getting a high enough selling price from a developer to finance its relocation. This could have resulted in the Golf Course staying put and Manningham not having the area available for its high density housing strategy, had the sewer plant gone ahead
We are hoping that Whitehorse Council will not object to a YVW sewer plant if it is proposed in Eram Park. I believe if it can be built up to 200 metres away from the nearest North Box Hill residences, on the Manningham side of the Eastern Freeway, out of sight and hidden by its high sound walls.
Patrick
Eram Park, which is much closer to Manningham residences than Whitehorse, had always been the preferred and most practical site for the Yarra Valley Sewer plant after the Eastern Golf Links plan had been shelved. Eram Park is ideal because it is directly adjacent to the main sewer line and has immediate access to the Eastern Freeway for trucking the disposal of its waste.
Now that Manningham have resolved not to lease or sell land in the Koonung ward for the use of a sewer plant after rejecting the Tram Road reserve alternative, YVW may have to exercise its option and compulsory acquire the Eram Park site, the most suitable location, under the water act 1989.