DDO News

DDO news

Residents and traders of Mt Evelyn were recently sent a ‘call to action’ leaflet about the Design and Development Overlay (DDO) and an update on the fight to keep Safeway at bay.

Many people were surprised to hear that the Safeway issue wasn’t dead and buried. The general feeling was that the overwhelming support shown at the public meeting to keep Safeway out had laid the issue to rest. However, the DDO for Mt Evelyn still hasn’t been ratified.

In fact, it has been referred to the Ministry of Planning (Rob Hulls, State Gov’t), and it will be decided in the final instance by the State, rather than local Government after all submissions have been considered.

The DDO is now back with the council after being on display during September. Some residents and traders are worried that it may be ‘watered down’ and effectively weakened.

The DDO covers most of the Wray Cres/Station St shopping precinct and deals with issues such as building heights, placements, access, flora and appropriate development. The DDO was initiated by an independant group of traders and residents, when they learned that a local developer had approached Safeway with an offer of providing them land at the corner of Station St and Snowball Ave. A public meeting (the largest seen in Mt Evelyn) was called and hundreds gave their voice to the campaign of “No Way, Safeway”.

back to index