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Property developers George and Frosa Adams own industrial land in Epping North and are fighting in the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal to have reference to the public transport corridor removed from development plans so that the land can be subdivided into eight lots and sold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The part of the corridor that runs through their property has never been placed under a public acquisition overlay and the pair argued at the tribunal that the state has failed to progress the rail proposal for 24 years and should no longer stand in the way of their plans to sell the land.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The state was warned in two separate expert planning panel reports, in 2001 and 2013, that any failure to apply a public acquisition overlay to the corridor could expose the project to problems, including a lack of \u201cstatutory teeth\u201d to secure the alignment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt is unreasonable to expect affected landowners to have a rail line shown on the plan, but to wait indefinitely for the land to be purchased,\u201d one panel warned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Adams\u2019 legal counsel, Emily Porter, SC, said her client had been forced to put plans for the disputed land on hold for several years and \u201cwants to move on in life\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Wollert rail link was first conceived in plans in 2001, but has been passed over in favour of other extensions such as Mernda rail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Two years ago, the Albanese government committed $250,000 to a feasibility study for the corridor, on the condition that the state Labor government match the funding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTwenty-four years down the track, we still don\u2019t know if this is even a feasible idea: train, tram or bus \u2026 whatever this project is ultimately going to be, it has less certainty than even the Airport Rail Link, which has recently been delayed by another four years,\u201d Porter argued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She said subdividing the land for industrial development today would not stop construction of a rail line in the future \u201cif the corridor ever comes to fruition\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Adams\u2019 bid is being opposed by the City of Whittlesea, which has lobbied for years for the rail line\u2019s construction, and the government department, Transport for Victoria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The suburbs of Epping North and Wollert are projected to grow in population to about 95,000 people by 2041 \u2013 roughly double their current number \u2013 but public transport in the urban growth corridor is limited to local buses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maddocks partner Terry Montebello, acting for the City of Whittlesea, told the tribunal that \u201cevery plan that has been approved, bar none, has shown the transport corridor\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAll of the planning that has been occurring in Melbourne, at least in this northern corridor, all the way up to Wallan, has been consistent,\u201d Montebello said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He said it would be unacceptable to sell off any part of the corridor today, no matter how small because doing so would compromise the entire project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s a reminder to stick to the course. Avoid compromising long-term strategic approaches to the allocation of land through incremental decision-making,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Barnaby Chessell, SC, representing Transport for Victoria, likened the would-be removal to cutting a link from a chain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although the state government had not committed to building a rail extension to Wollert, the corridor had been set aside in strategic plans and should be protected from incompatible development, Chessell said.<\/p>\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s the potential of the land that warrants it being set aside in the way that it presently is set aside within this development plan,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Screenshot-2024-05-18-at-9.46.05\u202fAM-900x1024.png\")
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