By Jessica Anstice
Concerned residents are protesting against proposal for a boarding house in Kooweerup, after discovering it would house homeless people.
Families in Henry Street are holding their breath in anticipation of Cardinia Shire Council voting on a permit application for a boarding house to be built.
The application for a nine room boarding house for a maximum of 12 people is scheduled to go before the council on 7 December.
The facility will provide short, medium, and long-term accommodation for homeless people at 33 Henry Street.
As there will not be a live-in caretaker, a night curfew or enforceable rules on the occupants of the boarding house, neighbouring residents are worried about their safety.
Peter Feltham, who lives adjacent to the proposed development, questioned the need for a boarding house when Kooweerup does not have any homeless people.
“Don’t you usually place a facility in a location where it is needed? Not gather them from miles away and dump them in Kooweerup,” he asked.
“My biggest concern is that there will be up to 12 people in the dwelling at any one time, with no caretaker, no rules and no curfew.”
Residents are concerned the park further along Henry Street will become an “undesirable” meeting please.
“We are not against placement for homeless people, there is a need for it in a responsible compassionate community, built in the right position, not in Kooweerup,” resident Kay Feltham added.
With little to no community consultation from the council, residents found out about the proposal by accident.
Ms Feltham said it was “ridiculous” that if a developer intends to build every day units, an application needs to be advertised and the effected residents notified.
“Then for something as potentially detrimental as this there is total silence and no communication,” she said.
Sue Stent and her family, who live just across the road from the proposed site, have also expressed their genuine concerns about the development.
Ms Stent said she received a flyer in her letterbox about the proposed development in early October.
The apprehensive resident wrote a letter voicing her objections to the boarding house and sent it to the local councillors, who did not respond.
“My major concerns are security for the elderly in Henry Street and children’s safety,” she said.
“With this boarding house there will be only four parking spots allocated for 12 people and what happens if they have visitors?
“This very narrow street could potentially become very congested, then how can emergency vehicles get down the street in case of a real emergency and the answer is that they will be compromised.”
Cardinia Shire Council has been contacted for comment.
