North East Link forces Yarra Valley Water to move sewerage treatment plant to Doncaster’s Tram Road Reserve
Neighbours have vowed to fight construction of a $30 million sewerage treatment plant, after Yarra Valley Water was forced to move the project due the to North East Link. Find out where it will be.
East
Don't miss out on the headlines from East . Followed categories will be added to My News.
A group of Doncaster residents have turned their noses up at plans to build a $30 million sewerage treatment plant metres from their homes.
Yarra Valley Water has changed its preferred location for the plant from Box Hill’s Eram Park to Doncaster’s Tram Road Reserve, due to plans for North East Link.
The plant will be built underground and serve recycled water to 5000 Doncaster Hill residents, which can also be used on sports grounds.
An independent panel recommended the plant be built in Eram Park in late 2017 as it was the furthest from homes in a group of short-listed sites.
But the water provider will now build the plant at the reserve — its second preferred location — following consultation with the North East Link Authority.
A flyer sent to nearby homes explained Eram Park was no longer suitable due to the authority’s plans to widen the Eastern Freeway.
“Initially, this work indicated that the facility’s construction could be integrated with NELP’s
works,” the flyer read.
“However, as Eram Park provides important flood water storage it has been determined in consultation with Melbourne Water and NELP that the site is no longer considered a feasible location for an underground facility.”
Yarra Valley Water managing director Pat McCafferty said the plant’s location would allow it to service up to 1000 extra homes if residents wanted to use its water.
He said the design of the underground plant would be similar to the built outside the MCG in Yarra Park, which included a large glass box.
“People look at it every day, they don’t smell it, they don’t hear it, they don’t even know its there and this would be just as unobtrusive,” he said.
“We would love to work with the community to improve the amenity of the park
“If they want something a little bit different, you can cover it (the structure) in trees and grass, there’s all sorts of different options for how it visually looks.
But Janine Cherry, who lives a block of houses away in Hardage Ct, said she and her neighbours would form an action group to stop the plant being built.
Ms Cherry said she was worried about the smells wafting from the plant and potential spills in nearby Toonung Creek.
“These plants are not supposed to be as close to the housing as they are here,” she said.
“They (Yarra Valley Water) keep moving it from one spot to the next; once there is too much of obstacle, they move somewhere else.
MORE: COUNCIL TAKES ACTION OVER ROAD PROJECT
PROTEST BANNER DROPPED OVER EASTERN FREEWAY
NORTH EAST LINK GETS GREEN LIGHT
Manningham Council’s director of city planning and community Angelo Kourambas said it had not received a planning application for the project.
Mr Kourambas said any application would be assessed against the Manningham Planning Scheme and submissions.
Two community information sessions for the proposed plant will be held at Doncaster’s MC Square on February 22 and 26.
Details: yvw.com.au