By Rowan Forster
Police have been summoned to a Dunbarton Drive boarding house 10 times over a five-year period to respond to violence and drug-related crimes.
The operator of the facility, Marjo Pty Ltd, is gearing up to fight a Cardinia Shire decision to refuse a second house – containing 41 men – on Savage Street.
Detractors claim the figure, released by Victoria Police under a Freedom of Information request, is proof the proposed rooming house will cause trouble in the “recovering” neighbourhood.
The appeal is set to be heard by the state’s peak planning regulator, the Victorian Civil Administrative Tribunal (VCAT), on 19 September.
It comes after John McCaffrey, a consultant town planner speaking on behalf of Marjo, told the Gazette the Dunbarton Drive residence was an example of how a boarding house could operate without conflict or threat to safety.
Miles Dugdale said the figure was of particular concern, given the Savage Street rooming house would be double the size of the “trouble-plagued” Dunbarton Drive facility.
“If they’ve had 10 serious crimes here, you can only imagine how many the Savage Street one would have,” he said.
“The council saw the concerns and used common sense, but they’re fighting the decision and now it is out of our hands.
“These statistics prove that these houses are troublesome, but VCAT have shown that they don’t care in the past.”
An expansion of the Dunbarton Drive residence to accommodate an additional 10 men was first put forward in 2009.
It garnered 58 objections and was rejected by Cardinia Shire councillors twice, but was subsequently approved by VCAT.
Elderly resident Glenda Roberts claimed the Savage Street area had experienced a “massive problem” with drug dealers over the past five years.
She feared the development could rekindle that behaviour.
“For the first time, I actually felt safe and felt it was a nice place to live,” she said.
“Everyone on the street is elderly and most of us live alone; so there are no young people around to rally against it.
“We feel a bit helpless.”
The figure provided by police only included incidents of an indictable classification at 25 Dunbarton Drive, Pakenham and did not take into account minor attendances or those at neighbouring properties.
However, the region’s growing rate of homelessness – up 52 per cent over the last five years – presents an argument for further boarding homes to be established.
Latest Census data estimates the municipality now has a homeless population of 220 compared to the 144 recorded in 2011.
Youth worker Matt Simms said it was a necessity to provide crisis accommodation for those suffering homelessness and poverty, regardless of neighbourhood concerns.
“If they don’t have anywhere to go they’ll be more susceptible to crime and they’ll more than likely cause more trouble in the neighbourhood,” he said.
“Boarding houses are always going to have these incidents, but it’s about how they’re handled and dealt with.
“Denying them the right to be housed in a rooming facility would only worsen the issue.”
