More residents at the Techno Park estate will be able to remain in their homes after Hobsons Bay council issued certificates of compliance to another 25 properties at the Williamstown site.
Council issued the certificates to occupants of blocks four and 12 at the estate on 17 October after they proved the properties had been continually used for residential purposes for 15 years.
It follows certificates of compliance being issued to residents of block 11 in June, meaning those living in three of the estate’s five blocks have had their existing use rights recognised, allowing them to stay regardless of zoning laws.
In May 2023, the then Hobsons Bay council used zoning laws to try to evict residents of the former migrant hostel, arguing it was on zoned industrial land and that nearby fuel storage tanks posed a safety risk.
After a fierce public backlash, the eviction attempt was withdrawn and residents were invited to apply for certificates of compliance by proving they’d lived there for an extended period.
“Working together, residents across the street collected more than 200 pieces of evidence for these two applications, including statutory declarations by past and current residents and their friends and neighbours, photos of their homes, home loans, phone bills, pet registrations, real estate listings advertising bedrooms and kitchens, and voter enrolments going back to the 1990s,” read a social media post from campaign group Save Techno Park after the latest applications were approved.
Applications for the remaining blocks are expected to be submitted soon.
