By Jim Mynard
THE Port of Hastings Corporation’s plan to place a 500metre wide planning overlay on private properties from Cranbourne to Pakenham was dropped on Cardinia Council just before Christmas.
Cardinia mayor Kate Lempriere told 500 residents at a Cranbourne protest meeting in the Cranbourne Hall last Wednesday that the council did not know about the plan to build a freight railway line through the rural townships of Clyde and Cardinia.
Cr Lempriere said the council was unable to say where it stood with the plan.
The mayor cut short a speech by Cardinia’s manager of strategic planning, John Holland and sent him scuttling from the stage when he was making hard work of explaining Cardinia’s position on the draft strategy.
Mr Holland said it was good to see the public interest in the issue, but the council’s preliminary view was that the project would provide considerable employment.
He said, however, that the transport plan may be an issue and that the council saw potential in using the Western Port Highway for the rail corridor.
“Until we finalise our position I can’t say much more,” he said.
He was responding to the Port of Hastings Corporation’s chief executive, Ralph Kenyon, who said the corporation had worked with agencies and groups while preparing a draft paper, The Port of Hastings Land Use and Transport Strategy.
One of the most contentious aims of the strategy is to build a freight railway line to Gippsland through Cranbourne and the rural townships of Clyde and Cardinia.
This has created enormous community anger.
Residents claim the line will seriously devalue their properties and destroy their communities.
One resident said he believed the value of his property would fall by 50 per cent.
Mr Kenyon said the corporation was providing a longterm strategic plan for the port and that the strategy document represented the way the Port of Hastings Corporation needed to go.
“Feedback we get will help us take the next step.
“The Port of Hastings needs to expand because the Port of Melbourne will be at full capacity by 2030.
“Hastings will provide supplementary port activity,” he said.
Cr Lempriere said the council knew nothing of the plan to cut through the Shire of Cardinia.
“This did not hit our awareness until just before Christmas and as we move into this year we have asked officers to closely examine the situation.
“But please understand that as your representatives we will look at this. I have no intention of letting this slip under the mat.
“This plan is of great concern to us because it will disrupt our communities.
“If I wasn’t a councillor I would be sitting out in the hall with you and protesting. People have every right to be worried over this.
“If people in the community think overlays will be placed on their properties then that’s a social disadvantage.
“If this affects your health physically or mentally then you scream about it as loud as you can.
“The council is concerned about creating jobs, but not at any cost.
“I ask people frightened over this issue to give us a direction and we will follow,” she said.
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