FRANKSTON City Council has set a date to conclude a three year investigation into the landslide susceptibility of Olivers Hill and Sweetwater Creek.
The investigation is to apply an Erosion Management Overlay (‘EMO’) to specific areas of the Mornington Peninsula which will mean permits will be required for any desired road and building construction and vegetation removal. Applications for a permit will need geological background of the land subject to development.
Associate professor of Environmental Geoscience at La Trobe University, John Webb, says Olivers Hill is a steep slope, and steep slopes by their nature are susceptible to landslide.
“If the council thought there was genuine risk of landslide on [Oliver’s Hill] based on their technical assessment, then they would have to make that public. Otherwise, later on if there is a landslide, then they’re definitely liable.”
Local landowner of a property on Olivers Hill, Neal Gale, completed his own research with ten inclinometers, and says the EMO’s main issue is the time expense on attaining permission for construction. He believes we should be preventing landslides, and the council’s current perspective on this problem is “[counter] productive”.
Decreasing land values will eventuate as potential residents will be unnerved by the chance of landslip that may occur to their prospective property. The houses of Oliver’s Hill are renowned for their significant value, properties have been sold in excess of $3 million.
Surrounding residents of Olivers Hill acknowledge the area’s reputation of having picturesque views overlooking the Frankston bayside, however the possibility of landslides, would make them think twice about living there.
Maureen Harvey, 65, has been a resident of Frankston South for the past 20 years and “dreams” about living on Olivers Hill. However, Mrs Harvey recognises the stigmatisation of being labelled under an EMO. She says, “I think I would be anxious about living there because you’d always be thinking, well, this, my asset, is going to go down the hill one day. If it starts raining heavily, you start worrying about mudslides and things like that. For piece of mind, I wouldn’t live there if there was [landslide] possibility.”
The verdict to officially determine Olivers Hill and Sweetwater Creek as ‘Land susceptible to landslide’ will be on the 24th of April.
Alysia Thomas-Sam 