by Michaela Meade
Fire safety concerns have led Hume council to reject a proposal for a 250-lot Greenvale development.
The proposal for 125 Providence Road also included a plan for a secondary school.
A report to Monday’s council meeting recommended the council not support the amendment request based on “safety, amenity and policy issues”.
Cr Jarrod Bell – who is a Victoria State Emergency Service volunteer – raised concerns about the development’s fore safety risk.
“This would become a community that would be completely surrounded by extremely flammable Australian bushland,” he said.
“There is no other community … or proposed community that I am aware of, that would be surrounded not on one, or two, but all four sides [by bushland] … [with] one road in and out.
“Imagine trying to get all of those people … out of this place in a hurry.”
Cr Bell said on average, the 250 lots would house 625 people and 450 cars, plus 600 students and 40 staff in the school.
He said he appreciated the demand for school’s in the area, but that safety was the priority.
“There’s absolutely no doubt in my mind that schools… in that part of the city are at capacity and are screaming for more,” Cr Bell said.
“However, building a bush school in a suburban community, surrounded by eucalyptus trees, just makes me nervous.”
According to the report, Cr Bell’s concerns were echoed by the Country Fire Authority (CFA).
The CFA said the proposal sought to increase the number of vulnerable people in a high bushfire risk location.
Cr Joseph Haweil said there was a “massive” demand for schools in the area, and that council should support the development of non-government and Catholic schools in the future.
