A developer is pushing for the third time to build 1100 new homes on a toxic former quarry and rubbish tip in Melbourne’s south-east, even though the site is filled with pits of decaying and solid waste piles, and enormous slurry-like “slimes” that plunge up to 20 metres beneath the surface.
Developer Sterling Global has bypassed the local council and sought state government approval to build on the former sand mine in Oakleigh South, described by a resident group as a “Frankenstein site”.
Curt Thompson, who has long fought plans build homes on the former Talbot quarry, stands at the southern boundary of the site.Credit: Joe Armao
Planning documents show contaminants detected at the site include methane, asbestos, naphthalene, arsenic, heavy metals and “forever chemical” PFAS.
The unstable nature of the slimes – a byproduct of sand mining – threatens the long-term settlement of buildings and other infrastructure, the documents say.
Since 2016, Sterling Global has tried to push through its plans to house about 2500 people on the sprawling 19-hectare site, which was mined for four decades until the ’90s and also hosted a landfill in the 1970s.
Monash Council abandoned the 2016 request to rezone the site to develop townhouses and apartments, requiring a thorough addressing of soil contamination and geotechnical issues. The developer undertook further work and made a second attempt in 2022, which the council did not progress.
Then, in 2023, Sterling Global bypassed the council by taking its plan – dubbed “Talbot Village” – directly to Victorian Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny. She has now released for consultation a draft planning scheme amendment to rezone the site as requested by the developer.
Kilkenny asked a standing advisory committee to investigate whether there was sufficient technical information to proceed to the next planning stage. It published a report in September last year supporting the developer’s level of investigation to date.
It also deemed acceptable the suggested environmental and geotechnical solutions, such as capping landfill pits, building gas venting systems and strengthening the slimes with fill.
However, City of Monash councillors last week voted to send a submission to the Victorian government outlining major concerns with the plan.
An artist’s impression of the proposed Talbot Village from a bird’s eye view.
The council said it failed to provide the rigour and certainty needed for managing the site’s complex environmental issues, contained inconsistent information, lacked detail on necessary planning controls and inappropriately exempted the developer from paying a green space levy.
The council also objected to being made responsible for monitoring the site after the development’s completion.
Mayor Paul Klisaris said the plan did not sufficiently protect current neighbours and future residents from possible risks arising from contamination and geotechnical problems.
“Council has dealt with the proposed development of this site over many years and has consistently raised these issues,” Klisaris said. “We have made it clear that the proposal is not acceptable to council and nothing has changed to address these concerns.”
“This land was scarred ... but miraculously, it … [has been] reclaimed as a home to birds of all kinds, amphibians and other creatures.”
Curt Thompson, president of Neighbours for Public Green Space
Councillor Josh Fergeus told the chamber last week that Victoria’s housing crisis was not a good enough reason to back a plan with so many safety concerns.
“There are many opportunities to build housing around this city that are not being taken up, and it’s mostly because they are not seen as being profitable enough,” Fergeus said.
Curt Thompson, a nearby resident and president of Neighbours for Public Green Space, said he was horrified that the developer’s plan was making another comeback and labelled it a dangerous experiment.
A state-appointed planning panel opposed the development in 2018 after receiving 343 objections. It found no precedent for a proposal of this scale with the combined geotechnical and contamination issues.
An artist’s impression of part of the planned Talbot Village.
Thompson is worried that the development could lead to a double-whammy of disasters seen elsewhere, such as the Brookland Greens estate methane gas leak in Cranbourne and Sydney’s Opal Tower evacuation over structural flaws.
“We thought we were finished with this absurd development proposal [in 2018],” he said. “The risks involved in this particular site are simply far too great.”
Thompson said the most sensible way forward was to transform the “Frankenstein site” into a public park. He called on state and local governments to purchase the land at market value before any rezoning, which would drive up the cost.
“This land was scarred by decades of aggressive and inappropriate human activity, but miraculously it shows signs of natural recovery,” he said. “[It has already been] reclaimed as a home to birds of all kinds, amphibians and other creatures.”
Sterling Global senior development manager Kim Ly said the site had been extensively reviewed, including an environmental audit in 2020, which classed the land as suitable for sensitive uses.
“We are confident that the studies and proposed management and monitoring initiatives before the Department of Transport and Planning will ensure the site is suitable for residential development,” Ly said.
“We’ve also received support from other residents, schools and local businesses who are eager to see the site developed.”
A spokesman for Kilkenny encouraged the community to have its say on the draft plan, with consultation open until Wednesday.
“Any proposal would be considered on its merits and no decision has been made,” he said.
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