Cairnlea residents have vowed to oppose the creation of commercial businesses in a proposed mixed-use precinct, a week after industrial areas were removed from plans for the 38-hectare lot.
As reported by the Weekly, residents celebrated after Places Victoria dropped an industrial park from its plans for the vacant land next to Cairnlea Drive.
However, nearly 70 residents stepped up their opposition at a community meeting on December 2, voting to also seek to block commercial zones.
Cairnlea resident Robert Mammarella, a staffer with Western Metropolitan Labor MP Khalil Eideh, was greeted with applause when he said the community must do all it could to block the plan.
“We should oppose any commercial development, otherwise it will become Cairnlea industrial estate,” he said.
“This is me speaking without my political hat on, this is me speaking as a resident. It could be a case of shops at the front and factories at the back.
‘‘Property values will go down … we need to ask Places Victoria for their impact studies on traffic, on the local fauna, everything.”
Late last month, Mr Eideh told State Parliament about his fears of contaminated soil at the former munitions factory site, which the Weekly understands will be taken over by Places Victoria early next year.
“What Places Victoria is failing to tell residents is that the proposed redevelopment is to be constructed on contaminated land,” Mr Eideh said.
“One of the major parks indicated in the plans is located in one of the key areas where heavy contamination was identified by the Environment Protection Authority.”
Places Victoria acting chief executive Peter Armstrong said residents had indicated during recent consultation that they wanted to see shops and other services in the area.
“We recognise that landscaping is important to the local community,” he said. “Further landscaping opportunities exist within the open space areas and smaller streets will be planted with street trees.”
An EPA spokesman said an audit of the land was being finalised.
