Located at the base of the Dandenong Ranges near Melbourne, Wantirna is the finest of outer-eastern suburbia; with clear views of the mountains, surroundings of nature and a sense of spaciousness. Prospective buyers were once drawn to its family-friendly neighbourhoods, large blocks of land and a community with booming local businesses. But as the suburb continues to evolve and transform for future generations, doubts are being formed on whether Wantirna will continue to be the liveable, nature-driven suburb it was once known for.
"We loved it because of the leafy, green environment [and] we loved it because we were close to the mountains still," recalled Amanda Freeman, who has called Wantirna home for the past 29 years. She's seen the suburb evolve overtime, but new developments in the area are making her question whether it’s beauty will be forever-lasting.
One of these future developments include the site of former Wantirna Caravan Park, located off Mountain Highway, which was sold in August 2016 to Yu Yunhe, a Chinese investor.
At the July council meeting, Knox City Council knocked back the proposal for developing 294-townhouses on the site, which was submitted by developer Longriver Group. This proposal was not passed through Council due to design issues involving drainage, roads, cramping of townhouses, lacking in open space and inappropriate locations of trees.
“Development has to happen,” said Amanda. “It’s just this overdevelopment.” Amanda, who lives approximately one kilometre from the Wantirna Caravan Park site, believes quality of living was unaccounted for in the Council-refused proposal, and thought it lacked in nature with the demolition of trees that would happen if the site development were to go ahead. “There’s development with taste, and there’s development with respect to people. The people that are going to live there,” and believes that the proposed development does not consider those elements.
While Amanda is relieved the plans were knocked back, she’s not hesitant to acknowledge that something of a similar nature will likely be developed on the site. “If they go to VCAT I think they’ll still win, because they’ll make adjustments.”
A large-scale development of the Wantirna Caravan Park site would affect Amanda with the increase in traffic conditions on Mountain Highway. “[It] would be traffic, [that] would affect me. Because I actually go to work that way.” With Mountain Highway being the only main access point to the site, Amanda thinks an over-development would dramatically increase traffic and the driving conditions on the highway.
Other than the Caravan Park site, there are planned developments within Knox Central, including the planned development of the 'Foodstar’ property on Burwood Highway, and the commencement in the building of Knoxia apartments.
“Knox central…is going to block anyone’s view of the mountains,” Amanda said in disagreement. “I don’t want this city complex in the middle of…outer suburbia, in the sticks they used to say.”
And if that were to happen, if the views were to go and the reasons why Amanda originally moved to Wantirna, then she wouldn’t be impressed. “[I’d be] out of here.”
