SAVE WILLIAMSTOWN is beaten
THE STRAW THAT BROKE THE CAMEL’S BACK!

Port Phillip Woollen Mills now known as Waterline Place - Lot 8 Application - 62 High Rise Apartments within 300m of Mobil’s Pt Gellibrand Major Hazard Facility

On 8th February 2017 after deferring a decision until after the minister’s decision on planning near MHFs Hobsons Bay Council considered the application 

In January 2018,the MHF Advisory Committee Report Report was accepted in the response by the Planning Minister. Committee recommended Worksafe have a determining role in advising re developments involving:
* Dwellings within 500m of a MHF

* Schools and Aged Care Facilities within 1km

The time frame for enhanced technical advise is 2019-2021 which means that existing Worksafe Inner and Outer Planning Areas for Pt Gellibrand were applied by HBCC planners.  Lot 8 is within the OPA 300m.  Worksafe, in a backflip, wrote to HBCC re Lot 8 and “did not advise against” see: short single page letter).  This was totally at variance with Worksafe 14 page advice provided to VCAT re high rise at Lot 11 which is further away from the MHF than Lot 8. For Lot 11 they advised strongly AGAINST residential development because vulnerable persons who cannot respond to an emergency may be present (see: Worksafe opinion to VCAT February 2014).

Save Williamstown and Mobil objected to the Lot 8 application but with Worksafe’s backflip, HBCC councillors in SPC voted 2:1 to approve the development of high rise apartments within the Worksafe Outer Planning Advisory Area.

Save Williamstown is STUNNED & DISAPPOINTED

After 9 years fighting the developers of Port Phillip Woollen Mills and appearing at PPWM Advisory Committee, Ports and Environs Advisory Committee and the MHF Advisory Committee - planning approvals are being handed down contrary to all the known scientific dangers of this site...... Let us hope and pray there isn’t so much a smokey incident at this MHF...

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