WILLIAMSTOWN residents say lives are being put at risk because no one in authority is demanding an emergency evacuation plan for the Port Phillip Woollen Mill development site, which is situated near Mobil’s tank farm supplying half of Victoria’s fuel.
Hobsons Bay Council blames Planning Minister Matthew Guy, while Mr Guy’s office has not responded to repeated phone calls and emails from the Weekly about whether the community is being put at risk.
Spokesman for the developer conglomerate, Evolve Development managing director Ashley Williams, has also failed to respond to repeated requests for comment about whether the lack of a larger emergency evacuation plan could be placing people at risk.
According to early design plans and a construction management plan submitted to the council by the developer, the mill site could have more than 800 dwellings including four residential towers up to 13 storeys.
Hobsons Bay’s planning and environment director, Peter Gaschk, said Mr Guy had determined that an evacuation plan was necessary only for a 25-metre-strip of the 2.7 hectare site, which is bounded by Nelson Place and Ann, Kanowna and Aitken streets.
“The planning controls introduced by the Minister for Planning only require the provision of an emergency evacuation plan in the ‘advisory area’ identified in the planning controls,” Mr Gaschk said.
“The ‘advisory area’ is an area along the Kanowna Street frontage to the site between Nelson Place and Cecil Street, extending 25 metres back into the site from Kanowna Street.”
Save Williamstown spokesman Godfrey Moase said: “The fact that no one in authority can give a straight answer on safety shows the way the site is being developed is a clear case of putting money before human lives.
“The state government, council and developer are on notice about the risk.”
Charmian Gaud, also a member of Save Williamstown, said community safety did not just apply to the 36 apartments proposed in the ‘advisory area’.
“It is about the other 780 proposed dwellings plus 1500 existing residents and 1500 existing workers in the Gellibrand Peninsula.
“Council could require the emergency evacuation plan for the whole peninsula as per the Bushfires Royal Commission. The community needs to be alert and aware of dangers.”
Asked if the entire site would need to be evacuated in the event of an emergency, Mobil spokeswoman Melanie Saliba said: “Any evacuation of the site that may be required as a result of any incident, be it as a result of Mobil operations or other, would be determined by the emergency services incident commander nominated as responsible for community safety.”
The community has until Wednesday to make submissions on four applications lodged by the developer to build 153 dwellings up to six storeys high.
