Hobsons Bay City Council will partner with local agencies and service providers to establish the Techno Park Housing Solutions Group.
Council voted last night to support the establishment of the group, which will assist vulnerable tenants and owner-occupants in Techno Park Drive in Williamstown with long-term housing solutions.
It will be made up of local housing and support groups such as Latitude, which has expertise in case-managing and advocating for vulnerable people; key state government agencies; the Member for Williamstown, Melissa Horne; Techno Park stakeholders; and Council representatives to identify and develop alternative safe and secure housing solutions for people currently living in Techno Park.
Establishing the group shows Council’s commitment to the long-term safety and wellbeing of people living in the Techno Park Industrial Precinct, especially any who are vulnerable or at risk of homelessness.
Council appreciates that this is a diverse community where every resident has their own needs and aspirations, and Council wants to ensure they have access to the resources they need to re-establish themselves in a new home.
While seeking that people find alternative accommodation by May 2024, Council will continue to work with Techno Park occupants who require more time to develop an agreed transition plan.
The discussion on the Council officer recommendations put to Council last night (10 October 2023) was held in-camera. This decision was made following correspondence received on 9 October 2023 from a lawyer representing some Techno Park stakeholders advising that legal proceedings would shortly be lodged. The recommendations contained in the published Council agenda were adopted, along with two additional recommendations relating to communicating the decision quickly.
Council is responsible for upholding the Hobsons Bay Planning Scheme, which includes ensuring that people are not living illegally and unsafely at Techno Park. Council has been liaising with owners and occupants (commercial and residential) and will continue to do so to ensure people can access services and supports they might be eligible for.
Background
Techno Park housed refugees and migrants in short-term hostel accommodation after World War II. The original accommodation consisted of Nissen huts and was rebuilt in brick structures in stages between 1966 and 1971.
A 1978 Senate Report on the hostel noted: “the units were, quite properly, constructed without individual kitchens and dining facilities, as they were for temporary hostel accommodation”, and concluded “the site, bordered on all sides by a petrochemical and gas complex, is totally unsuitable for a migrant hostel” and “the consultative process, and the criteria used in the unfortunate decision to rebuild Wiltona in 1965 were unsatisfactory”.
As a result of this report, the land was zoned industrial in the 1980s, and properties were sold vacant into the private market with permits issued for offices and commercial uses.
Despite the zoning, which meant people could not legally live there, and the proximity of a Major Hazard Facility, residential uses have occurred, with some units bought and sold over the years. Since the industrial zoning, Council has enforced prohibited residential uses on this industrial site.
Following reports from the EPA and ExxonMobil that people were living there, Council had to advise residents of Techno Park that they are living illegally in an industrial zone and need to find alternative accommodation. This includes a number of tenants and a smaller number of owner-occupiers who purchased their unit with an industrial zoning.
Quotes attributable to Mayor of Hobsons Bay, Cr Tony Briffa:
“Council is required to act when we receive reports of people, including children, living in an industrial area immediately adjacent to a Major Hazard Facility, which is on land likely to contain contamination.
“Council doesn’t want to see anyone become homeless and genuinely cares for the people and families living on this industrial site. We want to work with them, and the various Techno Park owners and tenants, alongside local agencies and state government, to help them find safe, secure and long-term alternatives to their current situation. We know that rezoning this industrial area is not appropriate and is not supported by any State or Council planning policy.
“It is understandable some of the owners and tenants of Techno Park have exercised their right to take legal action against the Council to try to achieve their preferred solution. Unfortunately, this meant that Council’s discussion about the petition needed to be confidential to protect everyone’s legal rights. I’m pleased the report remained publicly available and that I can now let people know about Council’s decision.
“I look forward to all parties genuinely working together in the Techno Park Housing Solutions Group to help people live in appropriate, safe and secure housing.”
