ENVIRONMENT Minister Gavin Jennings inspected the heritage-listed Westerfield property in Robinsons Road, Frankston South, on Sunday with owners Joyce and Simon Welsh.
Mr Jennings was invited to walk through the bushland slated to be bulldozed for the Peninsula Link freeway.
The Welshes have appealed the design of the freeway to the Heritage Council of Victoria (see panel at right) seeking to have less of their land taken for the $760 million, four-lane road being built between Carrum Downs and Mt Martha.
Conservationists have manned a picket line at Westerfield since July 5 when a rumour spread that road builder Abigroup was set to bulldoze the land before the appeal had been decided.
Roads Minister Tim Pallas reportedly said last week that while Abigroup had all the permits to start construction, it would wait until the appeal decision.
His promise was welcomed by the several hundred locals who have spent time on the picket line, including Hastings MP Neale Burgess, Mornington MP David Morris, and local councillors.
Picket co-organiser Gillian Collins, a spokeswoman for Save Our Bush Alliance, said Mr Jennings saw the extent of destruction that would occur due to the freeway.
"About 60 supporters were on the picket that has been in operation for 21 days to demonstrate to Mr Jennings that saving this heritage bush property is a priority over any freeway alignment," she said.
"Mr Jennings made some comments to the protesters after his inspection, stating that he supported the effort being taken to bring the problem to the attention of the government, but that solving it was difficult because of the contracts the government already had in place.
"Mr Jennings looked at the freeway draft plan and also stood directly next to the school that will receive noise and pollution if the road alignment is not changed.
"Concern for the children attending Bayside Christian School has been expressed by teachers, children and parents now that the draft alignment is being made more public."
RULING DELAYS WORK
THE Heritage Council of Victoria has varied one condition of the permit to build the freeway on part of Westerfield. The owners of the heritage property, Simon and Joyce Welsh, had asked the heritage council to vary the freeway design so that it took less of their land.
They wanted shorter off and on ramps at Robinsons Road, a bicycle track moved and a retaining wall on the eastern side instead of sloping batters.
Mr Welsh said this would require less land on both sides of the freeway and less destruction of bushland.
The heritage council issued a news release on Monday afternoon stating its permits committee had decided to vary "the third condition of the permit pertaining to the retention of dam infrastructure and some native vegetation".
(The section of Westerfield being taken for the freeway has a dam built by property founder Sir Russell Grimwade in the 1920s. More like a lake than a dam, it
is a haven for waterbirds.)
"The condition now stipulates that a revised environment management plan needs to be submitted to the executive director of Heritage Victoria for approval," the release stated.
"The EMP must now include details of measures to retain in situ the existing infrastructure on the western side of the proposed freeway retaining wall, being the western dam edge and contours, remnants of the jetty within the acquired land, irrigation piping located within the acquired land, the depth gauge and an area of native vegetation. Works on the Westerfield site may not commence until the revised EMP has been submitted and approved
in writing by the executive director [of] Heritage Victoria."
On Monday at 2pm Mr Welsh told The Mail that it was a disappointing result. "It's a very minor win and not what we had hoped for," he said.
He now hoped Gavin Jennings would help push their cause after his Sunday visit.
Email a friend