Steels Creek residents Hannah Sky, Barbara Ashmore and Liz Williamson discuss the “track to nowhere” around the table, while another resident who wishes to remain anonymous, mulls over news the project Yarra Glen to Steels Creek track will go ahead.
By Kath Gannaway
Hannah Sky, Liz Williamson and Barbara Ashmore live close to where the eight-kilometre, $676,000 walking track will end.
They have slammed the council for what they say is a lack of sensitivity to their personal and community recovery, a lack of consultation, and a cynical grab for bushfire funds.
“This is changing our environment even more and it’s distressing people down this end of Steels Creek,” said Liz Williamson.
“There is all this talk about supporting fire victims and no-one is taking into account that it is distressing fire victims.
“We don’t want the foot traffic coming down here. The money should be used to help people who have lost houses, or returning the environment to what it was,” she said.
The Yarra Ranges Community Recovery Committee identified the track in its Community Recovery Plan and the council received funding from the Victorian Bushfire Appeal Fund.
The women say they, and others from the area, were unaware of the early meetings at which the project was put forward, with many having lost or left their homes and others struggling to deal with the physical and emotional aftermath of the fires.
They said a belated consultation meeting held at Yarra Glen in October was weighted in favour of residents of Yarra Glen and the Yarra Glen end of Steels Creek.
“It was a lot of suburban Yarra Glen people who wanted the track and it was very much Yarra Glen versus Steels Creek,” Ms Ashmore said.
“You could understand why they would want the track close to town, so their kids could ride bikes to school. That’s fine if they want it up that end, but we don’t want it down here,” Ms Williamson added.
A letter from Yarra Ranges Council dated 15 November advised that planning permits for the removal of vegetation to build the track would be submitted in the next few weeks.
Yarra Ranges Ryrie Ward councillor Jeanette McRae said the track was about connecting community members between Steels Creek and Yarra Glen.
She said there were a lot of people at the October meeting, including Steels Creek residents, who were in favour of the track and that it was incorrect to say it was only Yarra Glen people pushing it.
“Certainly there are people in Steels Creek who don’t want it, but there are also those who do.”
She said the public meetings gave a sense of the broader community views.
“Some were in favour, some not, but the sense among officers of council, including our new community engagement officer who had a fresh face on the issue, as well as VBRRA, is that there was more support for the project than against it.”
The planning application is for the removal of vegetation only – not for the project as a whole.
Cr McRae said projects under $1 million were exempted from having to obtain a permit, but explained that if there were certain triggers, people could put in a submission.
She confirmed that she, as ward councillor could call in the project for a full consideration and determination by all council members. Alternatively, it may be approved by the council’s staff.
Cr McRae said anyone who made a submission on the vegetation removal application would be kept informed as to the next stage.
In the meantime, VBRRA has advised they were facilitating a meeting with concerned residents to ensure all issues were heard before the project proceeded. A spokeswoman for VBRRA said the funds could not be used on another project, but would not be lost if the project was held up.
