Wantirna Caravan Park should have been zoned to prevent sell-off, councillors admit

SEVERAL councillors have admitted they should have done more to protect almost 200 Wantirna Caravan Park residents who face eviction with no compensation.

Residents at Wantirna Caravan Park plan to ramp up their fight for compensation. Picture: Steve Tanner

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SEVERAL Knox councillors have admitted they should have done more to protect Wantirna Caravan Park residents, as one calls for another park to be built in the area.

At a recent council meeting, Cr Jackson Taylor called for the release of State Government land to support social housing in Knox, including land suitable for another caravan park.

Cr Taylor said residential caravan parks could offer affordable housing.

Councillors also agreed to write to the Government, asking it to change the law and introduce a clause that would support compensation for evicted caravan park residents, similar to the system in NSW.

It’s not clear whether a change of law would be retrospective.

Knox Councillor Nicole Seymour says she should have had more foresight on the issue.

Cr Jackson Taylor called for the release of State Government land for affordable housing. Picture: Steve Tanner

The Wantirna park was bought by high-rise developers last year and plans have been lodged with the council to put 294 townhouses on the site.

The 189 permanent residents have to move out by next January.

Cr Nicole Seymour told the council meeting she wished she had done more to protect residents in the park.

“I see it as a personal failure and it is something I will carry with me in not having the foresight of protecting vulnerable people,” Cr Seymour said.

Cr Peter Lockwood told the Leader the council should have rezoned the caravan park land so its use couldn’t be changed.

“As residential (zoning) it was always going to be a target for development ... we didn’t think of it, it was an oversight on our part; we can’t change it now,” Cr Lockwood said.

He said establishing another caravan park was a “great” idea.

Peter Gray from the Wantirna Residents Action Group welcomed the moves and called on the Government to make sure residents got compensation.

The group is planning to ramp up its fight for compensation.

APP Property and Infrastructure Specialists, the third company employed to act on behalf of park owner Andrew Yu, refused to answer the Leader’s questions, including one asking whether the owner would be giving residents compensation.

The State Government did not respond to a request for comment.