DFFH buys Hamlyn Heights house, neighbours want to know why

The government is building a new property on a suburban block it bought two years ago. Worried neighbours say they have been told nothing about how it will be used.

Neighbours say they were not consulted or given any information about this government property on Tahara St, Hamlyn Heights. Picture: Alison Wynd

Neighbours say they have been left in the dark about a new home in Hamlyn Heights that has been built by the government, with no consultation and no details about what it will be used for.

The Department of Family, Fairness and Housing (DFFH) bought the Tahara St site in 2022 for $800,000. Now, with the original home demolished and construction on a new building well under way, neighbours still do not know its purpose.

A nearby resident, who did not want to be named, said people in the neighbourhood did not originally know who owned the property but rumours began to spread it had been bought by the government.

The man said he called numerous agencies, including DFFH and the NDIS, but no one would tell him what the house would be used for.

“Most recently there has been some high fences put in, it almost looks as if it’s a secure facility,” he said.

He said there were young families living either side of the house, as well as opposite, and they were concerned about who might live there.

“There has been no consultation from the government,” he said

“Its just alarming that something like this could be put on the street and people not be told about it.”

“Our concern is that it will house some people that are a risk to the community.”

He said it was “bonkers” that the government could build in a quiet neighbourhood without advertising plans or asking locals.

“It’s morally wrong,” he said.

A DFFH spokesman said the project had progressed through the Victorian government’s streamlined planning processes.

“Construction has commenced on a housing development at the property in Hamlyn Heights,” he said.

“The proposed fence height is in line with building regulations.”

A Hamlyn Heights house in Tahara St has been built by the DFFH but neighbours have been left in the dark as to its purpose. Picture: Alison Wynd

The state’s streamlined planning process was introduced to accelerate approvals and prioritise social and affordable housing developments.

Under this process, the Minister for Planning is the decision maker for significant residential developments that include affordable housing.

The changes apply to medium to high-density residential developments that meet the set criteria, aiming to bring 13,200 additional homes to market that would otherwise be delayed and to cut application time frames down.

Another resident on the street, Lloyd Gray, said some neighbours were worried about what the build would be used for, but he didn’t feel he needed to know.

“It doesn’t bother me,” he said.

Another resident, who also did not wish to be named, said they had many questions about who would be living there, and what the house would be used for.

“It would ease my anxiety to know,” they said.

Under the streamlined process, the types of homes that require planning permits have changed, with single dwellings on lots bigger than 300 square metres, and not covered by an overlay, no longer requiring a planning permit.

Originally published as DFFH buys Hamlyn Heights house, neighbours want to know why