CRANBOURNE
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Thursday, 4 April, 2024
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All together in the name of harmony Traditional and cultural dresses from Ireland, India, Sri Lanka, and Zimbabwe were proudly on display in the classrooms of Clyde Grammar on Friday 22 March as part of the school’s Harmony Day celebrations. The school, with students from five continents across Australasia, Asia, South America, Africa, and Europe, has celebrated Harmony Day since it first opened its doors in 2020 and it has become an important and much-loved date in the calendar for students and staff. “We are proud to have students from different cultures at our school and Harmony Day was a great opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate these cultures together,” Clyde Grammar School principal Leanne Evans said. Story page 6
Arjan, Noah, Gurleen, and Ekam. 395864 Picture: LJUBICA VRANKOVIC
VCAT rules on fill By Violet Li A Cranbourne South landowner filled and levelled his land, including parts of the floodplain, and destroyed native vegetation progressively over the years without permits, the state tribunal has heard. The aerial images from 2018 to 2022, supplied by Casey Council, have shown that it transformed the subject land, which is approximately four hectares at 204 Pearcedale Road, from a strip of green space into reclaimed land. Casey Council applied for an enforcement order against the landowner, Terrence Daniel White, in front of the Victorian Civil and Ad-
ministrative Tribunal (VCAT). It alleged that Mr White contravened the planning scheme by depositing fill onto the land, including parts subject to inundation, and lopping, destroying, and removing native trees and vegetation all without necessary permits. The council explained that as the land sits in the Green Wedge Zone and the whole frontage to Pearcedale Road is affected by the Land Subject to Inundation Overlay (LSIO), which relates to the nearby Langwarrin Creek, permits are required for earthworks that change the rate of flow or the discharge point of water across property boundary, which satisfies the
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nature of Mr White’s activities on the land. It further explained that an Environmental Significance Overlay (ESO) necessitates permits for removing any vegetation on the land, including dead vegetation. Council’s planning compliance officer John Letchford told the tribunal as a witness that he attended the site six times between March 2019 and May 2020 and observed that heavy vehicles deposited large amounts of fill onto the subject land, including the part affected by the LSIO and the ESO. Ryan Harris, another witness with the council and a senior natural resources management officer, attended the site once on
17 April 2019 and noted that fill material had been placed on the subject land and there were two piles of vegetation at the rear of the subject land, which contained both exotic and native vegetation. Melbourne Water, the floodplain manager under the planning scheme, conducted a hydraulic assessment to determine the impact of the importation of fill on the subject land and two adjoining premises. It examined the impact of floodplain fill-in on the volume of the floodplain loss and flood level. Continued page 4
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