The Supreme Court has overturned a VCAT decision and approved a large place of worship in the Green Wedge at Carrum Downs. The case turned on whether the development qualified as a place of worship.
The Defenders of the South East Green Wedge objected to this proposal because its scale and bulk would be completely out of place in the open countryside. It consisted of a double-storey hall to accommodate up to 3500 people, two double-storey buildings, a large two-storey guesthouse with a lift, a caretaker’s dwelling and a big barn, all on a 26.3 hectare site.
There are four outstanding applications for places of worship in the South East Green Wedge, including one with towers as tall as a seven-storey building. If this trend is allowed to continue, our delightful green wedges will soon be transferred into an urban-type landscape dominated by large buildings.
Barry Ross, Hampton