Save Tiuna Grove - Fight Overdevelopment in Elwood
Donation protected
Together as a community we have managed to gather over 1,800 signatures on a petition to protect the unique and historical Tiuna Grove from the gross over-development proposal threatening to demolish a number of beautiful buildings in the street.
As a result, Council recognised our concerns and formally continued their rejection of the application and further sought Ministerial intervention to obtain interim protection for the buildings pending a review of the heritage overlay. This has been an amazing outcome, and the positivity shared throughout the ordeal has been significantly appreciated by the residents in Tiuna Grove and Bendigo Avenue. Separately, the Save Elwood Streets Facebook page has generated promising momentum – and will continue to be a source of information and communication of over-development issues facing Elwood even after the Tiuna case. What we have achieved as a community so far is nothing short of brilliant.
However, the realities of the behind the scenes mirror the realities of other such cases. Significant expenses have been (and will continue to be) incurred in the opposition of this development. Big developers have big money – and unfortunately the burden is placed on groups of residents to match this expenditure to even have a chance at a fair hearing at VCAT. For developers, this is an expected business expense in the pursuit of tens of millions of dollars whereas for the residents who have bonded together to take this case to VCAT this is a once in a lifetime expense. A number of expert witnesses for the VCAT hearing alone have cost in excess of $25,000, however the largest expense is legal representation for the hearing. Further still, the developers are still able to submit another application should we win this hearing. This has placed a significant and uninvited financial burden on a small group of residents committed to opposing the development.
We hope that the outcome of this case will effectively send a message to future developers that Elwood residents will not be pushed over and will not be taken advantage of.
Please consider donating - even a small amount to help the objectors cover some expenses and will be hugely appreciated.
Note: donations will only be exclusively used to cover legal and expert witness expenses.
A beautiful detached interwar dwelling that will be lost should the development go ahead.
As a result, Council recognised our concerns and formally continued their rejection of the application and further sought Ministerial intervention to obtain interim protection for the buildings pending a review of the heritage overlay. This has been an amazing outcome, and the positivity shared throughout the ordeal has been significantly appreciated by the residents in Tiuna Grove and Bendigo Avenue. Separately, the Save Elwood Streets Facebook page has generated promising momentum – and will continue to be a source of information and communication of over-development issues facing Elwood even after the Tiuna case. What we have achieved as a community so far is nothing short of brilliant.
However, the realities of the behind the scenes mirror the realities of other such cases. Significant expenses have been (and will continue to be) incurred in the opposition of this development. Big developers have big money – and unfortunately the burden is placed on groups of residents to match this expenditure to even have a chance at a fair hearing at VCAT. For developers, this is an expected business expense in the pursuit of tens of millions of dollars whereas for the residents who have bonded together to take this case to VCAT this is a once in a lifetime expense. A number of expert witnesses for the VCAT hearing alone have cost in excess of $25,000, however the largest expense is legal representation for the hearing. Further still, the developers are still able to submit another application should we win this hearing. This has placed a significant and uninvited financial burden on a small group of residents committed to opposing the development.
We hope that the outcome of this case will effectively send a message to future developers that Elwood residents will not be pushed over and will not be taken advantage of.
Please consider donating - even a small amount to help the objectors cover some expenses and will be hugely appreciated.
Note: donations will only be exclusively used to cover legal and expert witness expenses.
A beautiful detached interwar dwelling that will be lost should the development go ahead.Organizer
Harry Richardson
Organizer
Elwood VIC
