2016-11-23
Ms PENNICUIK (Southern Metropolitan) — My adjournment matter this evening is for the Minister for Education, and it relates to the Beaumaris Secondary College. On 21 October I wrote to the minister regarding a letter that I had received the day before from Bayside City Council with regard to the imminent removal of 229 trees from the site.
They had been alerted by the Beaumaris Conservation Society of the imminent removal of those trees on the site, so I wrote to the minister asking if he would get the School Building Authority to halt the imminent removal of those trees, and that did in fact occur, because the trees were due to be removed on the 24th. I thank the minister. He did write back to me on the 21st of this month, outlining that the government, as we all know — it is in the budget papers — has provided $20 million to deliver the 7–12 school at Beaumaris in conjunction with the Melbourne Cricket Club. He advised that the School Building Authority is going to meet with conservation groups, the community and the council this Friday. I will be attending that meeting. He has given an indication that no trees will be removed until after that meeting, but there is concern in the community, and I share that concern, that trees may be removed immediately after that meeting — for example, next week.
The Beaumaris Secondary College has a very special asset in the vegetation that is present on the site, which is linked in with the Long Hollow and Balcombe Park heathlands nearby. This is an asset that is not present on most school grounds, and it is one that really does need to be preserved. I think the crux of the issue is the partnership between the government and the Melbourne Cricket Club with regard to the building of cricket pitches at the school and the new school building footprint.
Notwithstanding the meeting that is going to happen tomorrow night, which I know many members of the community will be going to and I will be going to, and notwithstanding that trees will not be removed until then, I would ask the minister to further delay any consideration of removing trees on that site until full appreciation by the community of the relationship between the government and Melbourne Cricket Club is available and documentation with regard to the agreement between the school, the government and the cricket club is released to the community.
REPLY on 7 February 2017:
I am informed as follows:
The new Beaumaris Secondary College will provide a much needed state-of-the-art school for 650 Year 7-12 students and first rate sporting facilities built in partnership with the Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC). The project is part of the Victorian Government's broader school building program to ensure all Victorians have access to a great school.
The Victorian School Building Authority has released a fact sheet on its website that details the partnership with the MCC, and hard copies of this document were also provided at a public information session held at Beaumaris Library on 25 November 2016. The fact sheet contains extensive detail about the joint use agreement, including how access for the MCC sporting teams and broader community outside of school hours will be managed.
To deliver the new school, a tree and vegetation removal and replacement program must be undertaken. Independent arborist and vegetation assessment reports have been prepared and every effort is being made to retain existing vegetation.
Following consultation with community groups, including the Beaumaris Conservation Society, during the period September to November 2016, the VSBA has identified a further 18 trees to be retained, subject to root assessments (currently underway). This is a direct result of community feedback leading to design adjustments that were able to be accommodated without compromising the functionality of the new school. Further consultation with the community and local conservation groups was conducted as promised, and will continue as the focus moves to the replanting and species selection.