YAN YEAN ROAD (STAGE 2) UPGRADE PROJECT INQUIRY AND ADVISORY

COMMITTEESubmission Presentation: Sarah Hunter

Introduction: My perspective

• Peri urban farmer in Doreen in within 2KM of road widening project

• President of local Landcare group Arthurs Creek District Landcare

■ Professional background

• Landscape Architect, with 17 years experience in landscape design, assessment, and research

• Significant consultancy based transport experience including Landscape & Visual assessment, and design, for road, rail and public transport projects.

• Confirmed PhD candidate undertaking academic landscape research at the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning at the University of Melbourne.

Introduction: Concerns

■ Exhibition was perceived by public as a showcase of plans without opportunity for genuine input or feedback

■ It appeared that a number of unsatisfactory “options” were presented to choose between only for the Bridge Inn Road/Yan Yean Road/Doctors Gully Road Intersection.

■ The design appears to lack innovation

A de-facto planning project?

■ My impression, resulting from my examination of the provided documents, is that the roads project is extremely heavy handed. In my view the road project significantly oversteps current and projected needs to the degree that it functions as an urban design project, which will have dramatic flow-on consequences for the natural and built environment in greater Melbourne, rather than simply providing the correct infrastructure responses to identified need.

■ Over provision of road capacity risks a flow on effect with the justification of further urban development because the road infrastructure has been built.

1. Excessive Scale and impact on Nillumbik area

■ Some upgrade works were required, however the scope of changes seems overblown.

■ The road appears to be designed such that traffic flows will be introduced from Plenty Road, and in fact funnelled towards the Nillumbik Shire rural areas and townships.

■ This has been outlined in other submissions including the Nillumbik Shire Council submission.

2. Excessive Scale // Sizing of road junctions

1. The road junctions in particular appear to be oversized and inappropriate for the volume of traffic. The proposal for Doctors Gully Road is not justified. The size of this junction and roadway brings with it many negatives (such as increased road surface and run-off, increased traffic, loss of agricultural land, likelihood of increased development pressures).

2. Excessive Scale // Sizing of road junctions

6 Lanes

2. Excessive Scale // Sizing of road junctions

2 Lanes

3. Land marooned from Green Wedge■ Some proposals for the Yan Yean Road and Bridge Inn

Rd / Doctors Gully Rd intersection result in stranded Green Wedge Land

■ All land so acquired should be set aside as Green Wedge biodiversity land (with the exception of the two historic businesses) and not developed.

■ Development on this land would significantly compromise the firm urban growth boundary currently in place.

4. Cultural loss represented by tree loss■ Loss of architectural feature

■ Loss of green wedge character

■ Loss of stands of trees on Yan Yean road, particularly on the eastern side, will cause significant cultural loss.

■ The incremental loss of defining features of the green wedge has the potential to ultimately damage its character so significantly that it loses its reason for being

Yan Yean Road Stage 1 at Plenty & Yarrambat Images – Google Street View

4a . Risks to Green Wedge

■ Damage to “rural’ and agricultural landscape character by loss of trees

■ Loss of character due to heavily engineered concrete solutions

■ Altered “de facto” urban growth boundary close to the intersection of Doctors Gully Road and Yan Yean Road risks influencing perceptions and reality of the urban growth boundary.

Red Gum at Corner Doctors Gully Rd and Yan Yean Rd DoreenImage: Facebook “Save the Doreen Red Gums”

4b . Green Wedge farming at risk

On a personal level the impact on agricultural values in the local area is of particular concern.

If Green Wedge controls are loosened locally enormous uncertainty will be created for our business.

5 . Damage to ecology

■ The loss of many stands of trees along the east and west road boundaries has the potential to drastically damage the ecology of the area.

■ Established trees play a vastly different role in the landscape to new saplings.

■ Where “middle aged” trees are removed this prevents those trees from reaching the age and stage where processes such as the development of hollows and the biodiverse processes of aging take place.

■ EES has not fully examined the scope of loss, failing to address the cumulative loss.

Red Gum at Corner Doctors Gully Rd and Yan Yean Rd DoreenImage: Sarah Hunter

Large forest owls and cockatoos require very large hollows for breeding. Nest trees used by these species therefore tend to be large.

Nest trees occupied by the Powerful Owl, Sooty Owl and Masked Owl in NSW ranged from a diameter of 77– 180cm, 124– 183cm and 100–191cm respectively (Kavanagh 1997).

The diameter of nest trees used by the Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo in southern Victoria averaged 246 cm (Nelson and Morris 1994), while nest trees used by the Glossy Black Cockatoo on Kangaroo Island averaged 99 cm (Garnett et al. 1999).

These trees were all among the largest trees available in their relative stands.

Gibbons, Philip, and David Lindenmayer. Tree Hollows and Wildlife Conservation in Australia, CSIRO Publishing, 2002.

5 . Damage to ecology (Tree hollows)

https://www.wilderness.org.au/news-events/why-is-it-vital-that-we-preserve-hollow-bearing-trees

Where are they found?Hollows are mostly found in old eucalypt trees, and are rare in many other native and introduced species such as wattle and pine.

•Small hollows can take 120-150 years to form¹. Their narrow entrances are suitable for small animals, such as the Eastern Pygmy Possum•Medium hollows can take over 200 years to form. These are favoured by animals such as Leadbeater’s Possums and Swift Parrots•Large/deep hollows are only found in old & overmature trees (deteriorating, dying or dead). They’re occupied by Glossy Black Cockatoos and other larger animals such as Masked Owls

Photo: Powerful Owl chick in tree hollow | Ákos LumnitzerFrom https://www.wilderness.org.au/news-events/why-is-it-vital-that-we-preserve-hollow-bearing-trees

¹Gibbons, P & Lindenmayer, D (2002) Trees hollows and conservation in Australia CSIRO Publishing, Collingwoo Victoria

6 . Marooned trees (habitat fragmentation)

■ In some cases the boundary trees are being shifted to become a road median.

■ Preferred option compared to the total loss of these trees ….

■ Habitat provided by trees bounding an agricultural landscape, compared to the habitat provided by trees in the middle of a road, is not the same.

■ Proposals should be revisited to investigate locations where the road widening can be limited such that no trees are required to be removed or incorporated into a median strip.

7 . Ecosystem services

• Ecosystem services were detailed as to be included in the EES scoping document but not raised in the EES documentation

• There was no reference to the microclimatic or climatic implications of the project

• Climate related impacts were a significant omission.

“Urban Ecosystem Services” Source: https://www.cocity.se/om-oss/urban-ecosystem-services/

7 . Ecosystem services (Climate)

Source: https://public.wmo.int/en/media/press-release/2020-track-be-one-of-three-warmest-years-record

7 . Ecosystem services / Climate change mitigation

How is this addressed on the project:• Minimise landtake and tree loss• Minimise hard surfaces• Accommodate best practice public transport and active transport

• Co-ordinate road design & construct with public transport service design• Safe and accessible Bike Lanes • Safe, attractive and well designed pedestrian paths, crossings at all intersections

(including quality tree shade). • Replace lost trees on site and in surrounding area. Mature trees replaced 2 for 1 (2

saplings for each mature tree lost)

8 . Specific landscape mitigation targets

• There are not specific commitments to undertake particular “landscaping” or “biodiversity” replanting detailed in the EES.

• EES stated that offsetting will be undertaken by the protection of existing native vegetation elsewhere in Victoria with “as many trees as possible” to be replanted.

• A specific commitment should be made to undertake replanting within the project scope (and within the local area if there are genuine limitations that prevent full replacement in the project scope).

9 . Quality services for pedestrians

• Provision of services for pedestrians is essential. Design should be integrated with existing trees as much as possible to ensure a pleasant and safe experience (away from cars).

• Not clear how and where paths are provided based on the EES drawings. Paths should be provided on both sides of the road with appropriate linkage to cross safely in every direction.

Summary points

■ Consider reduction in scope and revisit detail to ensure landtake and construction are limited to what is required.

■ Consider scope for design innovation/alternative proposals

■ Reduce scope of intersection sizes (eg 6 lanes at Doctors Gully Road)

■ Ensure any and all Green Wedge land acquired is set aside as biodiversity conservation land (no development).

■ Consider impacts of detailed design on rural character green wedge values

■ Minimise removal of mature trees

■ Consider the impact on ecosystem services and look to achieve best practice particularly in regard to climate

■ Ensure Landscape Design achieves good quality outcomes for habitat, visual impact and local quality (residents, park users etc)

■ Require and audit specific planting targets for mitigation of losses occurred through the project.