Mr MORRIS (Mornington) (15:40:13) — For almost 40 years the green break between Mount Eliza and Mornington has endured, but not without challenge. Only two weeks ago the trustees of the RM Ansett Trust advertised for expressions of interest for the remaining 22.3 hectares of land from Sir Reginald’s estate. The land is zoned green wedge in its entirety, yet amazingly it is described in the material as:
… one of the last available green wedge land bank sites on the Mornington Peninsula …
and as having:
Potential for redevelopment and incorporation of a range of uses, including commercial, leisure, hospitality, health care, education and a cliff top dwelling/s (subject to approval).
Of course anything can be done in a planning sense subject to approval. In this case, to achieve most of those uses will require the approval not just of the local council but also of a planning scheme amendment approved by the Minister for Planning and of course the approval of this Parliament.
The area is also subject to the Mornington Peninsula Localised Planning Statement, which says in part:
Areas of special character, beauty and significance, including areas of strategic importance necessary to maintain the sense of separation between townships, will be designated and protected.
I wish to place on record my total opposition, and that of the Liberal Party, to any change in the longstanding urban boundary south of Mount Eliza. The boundary has been in place for decades, and it has been understood by successive generations of peninsula residents that its location is permanent. I invite the Minister for Planning to join me in opposing any proposals that would change in any way the permitted uses in this sensitive location.