Save state significant bushland and stop environmentally destructive freeways
Urgent request for people to join community picket around endangered grassy woodland near Frankston. Peninsula-link freeway bulldozers are set to move in.
Time: Tomorrow (Tuesday, 28 September) and possibly later days this week. 6.00am until mid-afternoon (working hours, or whatever time you can spare)
Where: Boundaries of Westerfielf property (endangered grassy woodland), Robinsons Road, Frankston South
The Age, Thursday, 8 July 2010 Freeway builders admit damage to wetlands area
Background from the Green Wedges Coalition
Since July a community picket has been guarding the heritage listed Westerfield property near Frankston, with its magnificent and endangered grassy woodland, from the advancing path of bulldozers constructing Peninsula Link Freeway. Background to the picket, and a call for people to join have previously been placed on Environment Victoria’s website.
The Peninsula Link freeway is very environmentally destructive. Its construction has already cut through a corridor of important habitats around the eastern edge of Frankston, and bulldozers are now poised to move into Westerfield Grassy Woodland. This is one of the most intact and irreplaceable examples of endangered Grassy Woodland in the greater Melbourne region and possibly statewide, with a rich diversity of flora such as rare orchids, and habitat trees supporting wildlife such as Sugar Gliders and a host of woodland birds and bats. Peninsula Link is also a very wasteful project. It takes much needed funding away from public transport, and as reported in the Herald Sun may end up costing the Victorian tax-payer about $3 billion.
Property owners Simon and Joyce Welsh, who have been caring for Westerfield for decades, together with local environment groups established the community picket to stop bulldozers entering the grassy woodland. Their aim has been to persuade State Government and engineering company Abigroup to implement construction measures to avoid and minimise habitat loss – as required by the freeway’s planning approval conditions – and protect much more of the grassy woodland. Unfortunately to date there has been very minimal protection of habitats in freeway design plans, and even in the ruling from the Heritage Council of Victoria.
Late last week, with help from the CFMEU union, there appeared to be a partial breakthrough for picket organisers, when Transport Minister Tim Palllas agreed to halt construction works through Westerfield, whilst a planning appeal to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal was being heard. The Minister also agreed that State Government would work with community representatives to find agreeable solutions to their environmental concerns. In direct conflict with this undertaking, Abigroup and Linking Melbourne Authority have indicated that bulldozers will move into Westerfield on Tuesday - tomorrow. Picket organisers are meeting with LMA this afternoon to try and resolve the situation, but emphasise the likely need to resume the community picket from first light tomorrow, and possibly subsequent days this week – with large numbers.
If you would like to join the Westerfield Community Picket please check the website of Save The Pines (Flora and Fauna Reserve): http://savethepines.net this evening, to confirm whether a large picket is going ahead tomorrow and later in the week, and RSVP to picket organiser Gillian Collins on 0414 309 960 or at gillianuu@yahoo.com.au.
