AXE FALLS ON GREEN WEDGES: GOVERNMENT SET TO UNLEASH UNPRECEDENTED ENVIRONMENTAL & FARMLAND DESTRUCTION
- green wedge, public lands and urban planning backlash groups unite in protest
In a last ditch attempt to stop this unprecedented Green Wedge destruction, The Green Wedges Coalition has joined Protectors of Public Lands Victoria Inc. and Planning Backlash to hold a:
PROTEST MEETING
1 PM, TUESDAY 22 JUNE 2010
STEPS OF PARLIAMENT, SPRING STREET, MELBOURNE.
Speakers will include: Greens MLC Colleen Hartland; Legislative Council Coalition Leader, David Davis, and representatives of Protectors of Public Lands; the Coalition of Concerned Councillors; Taxed Out, Planning Backlash and Green Wedges Coalition.
Our groups call on MPs to VOTE NO TO PLANNING AMENDMENT VC67
SAY NO TO TRASHING MELBOURNE’S LIVEABILITY
SAY NO URBAN SPRAWL AND GREEN WEDGE DESTRUCTION
If ratified by Parliament this planning amendment could signify a catastrophe for Melbourne - our city will be changed irrevocably forever.
State Government is set to unleash unprecedented environmental, agricultural and landscape destruction in the green wedges when it moves Parliamentary approval of planning scheme amendment VC67 at 3pm on Tuesday. VC67 will expand the Urban Growth Boundary to replace 43,600 ha of green wedge land with suburban sprawl. It will take green wedge land for freeways and freight terminals and provide for increased urban density along Melbourne’s tram and principal bus routes.
The UGB expansion will clear for urban development 5,000 ha of environmentally significant Western Basalt Plains grasslands, the grassy woodlands of the Maribyrnong and Merri Creek catchments, with their giant red gums, and 4000 ha of the South East food-bowl where highly productive market gardens using recycled water double as Southern Brown Bandicoot habitat. (Please see details below and attached.)
It will also destroy the certainty on which green wedge protection is based. The developers who will profit from speculative purchases of green wedge land to be rezoned by VC67 will go looking for more spec purchases outside the next UGB.
The Coalition parties have said they will not oppose the UGB expansion, but they will oppose the E6 freeway, which is close to the existing parallel Craigieburn Freeway and they will oppose amendments to Clause 12, which provides for increased urban density. We call on them to hold firm on these issues and in addition to move amendments to save at least some of the above-listed priority green wedge areas from development.
Before the 2006 election, Liberal, ALP and Greens MPs surveyed by the Green Wedges Coalition all supported the current Government policy to protect green wedges "including the present boundaries." Only the Greens have stood by their election policy and have consistently opposed the UGB expansion. We call on Coalition MPs to support the Greens motion to refer this matter to a committee to negotiate amendments to mitigate the damage.
