Glen Eira Debates

February 15, 2017

4 Responses to “McKinnon Flood”

1. Anonymous Says:

   
   February 15, 2017 at 12:01 PM

   Good Luck to these flood affected residents. A branch of the Elster Creek network passes under the rail near the end of Glen Orme Ave, with the open grates to let out water in peak flooding levels. All research and projections suggest that flood events will get more frequent and more server. The I-25 or 1-50 year flood events are outdated.

   A 2014 Melbourne Water report into flooding of the Elster Creek (Elwood Canal) had upper catchment recommendations for construction of water retention areas in Glen Eira. As far as I can ascertain this report was never presented to our councillors.

   The coming Virginia Park development is bang on Elster Creek, it cuts through the corner of the estate. Residents must make sure flood retention works are included into the 24 hectares of this development.

   Marlborough Reserve adjoining the Virginia Park was earmarked as a possibility to hold flood water back, so is Duncan Mackinnon and Packer Park also, so far nothing has happened.

   This lack of action could change as Melbourne Water is beginning to realize that doing nothing is not an option anymore, and Glen Eira Council may be dragged to the table and forced into planning some flood mitigation works.

   Elster Creek flood affected residents in Glen Eira, must use this once in a lifetime opportunity of the Virginia Park development to make sure that the development does not add to downstream flooding, and better still is designed to mitigate future flooding events.
2. Reprobate Says:

   
   February 15, 2017 at 1:24 PM

   Kellyanne Conway would admire the effort the guilty parties have gone to to deflect attention from their planning failures. There are around 90 mentions of drainage in the planning scheme. In the Municipal Strategic Statement section 21.11 Infrastructure GECC acknowledges that we have aging and inadequate drainage. There is “Further Strategic Work” that Council hasn’t done since 1998. There is negligible evidence Council has ensured “future development is appropriate to the constraints of infrastructure”.

   Standard B9 covering Permeability Objectives exists for a reason. Council does owe us an explanation why “1-in-100” or “1-in-50” events are occurring every few years. I’d have more confidence if Council could demonstrate that it competently models the capacity of the drainage network and that the predictions of its model bears some resemblance to what actually occurs.
   1. Anonymous Says:

      
      February 15, 2017 at 4:30 PM

      All too true Mr Repro, but the cost of fixing the Elster Creek debacle properly would run into possibly near 100 million dollars worth. Over 100 years worth of neglect and corruption has seen homes built right next to, or in some case over over the creek lines. This is the reason none wants to touch it. The flooding of Elster Creek and downstream Elwood Canal is now used as an international basket case example of what not to do.

      It will make more sense in some case to buy back properties (Melbourne Water says this) If Glen Eira Council had its act together it would be doing any buybacks of properties for open space improvements in the most flood prone areas. This would kill two birds with one stone.

      Stonnington Council as part of the Chadstone redevelopment (the last development not the current) got the Gandel Group to buy up some properties around the Chadstone complex and turn them into parkland.

      It would be wise for Glen Eira do this with Virginia Park development. If the Open Space levy collected goes into the our Open Space Fund, sure as the sun rises the monies will be hijacked into upgrading tennis court or building bigger pavilions or the like. The Glen Huntly Reservoir development is a good and current example where a large part of the sight has be concreted and hard surfaced over, only going to making any future flooding event worse.
      1. Reprobate Says:

         
         February 16, 2017 at 9:47 AM

         The problem is more extensive than a few properties. Thousands of properties drain into the Elster Creek drainage network and since neither VCAT nor Council consider Standard B9 in making their planning decisions, there’s a lot of multi-unit developments with minimal permeability causing rapid stormwater runoff. Portions of the network upstream also overflow and have caused flooding in areas that Council doesn’t consider to be flood-prone. I’d like to see an audit done of past planning decisions and who made them. There is no accountability for the repeated failures of developments to comply with Standards.

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