The Porcupine Village development has been referred under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act and is available on the EPBC Public Portal for community feedback until Tuesday 22 April. Describing it as a Holiday Park Redevelopment, the owners are ‘seeking to develop infrastructure for tourism and accommodation’ on 5.2 hectares at 8 Allans Road, Maldon.
Project and impact
The proposed project is described as including 26 cabins, a petting zoo, plant nursery, camp kitchen, games room, swimming pool, machinery shed, entertainment marquee and museum and will also formalise the car park areas and access ways within the site. These are in addition to the existing historic buildings, a restaurant-café, eight motel units and a manager’s residence.
The EPBC Act is the law to protect and manage Australia’s significant plants, animals, habitats and places. A referral is a written request for the Environment minister to decide whether a proposed project needs assessment and approval under the EPBC Act. The Porcupine Village referral indicates that there is likely to be impact on Grey Box Grassy Woodland and Derived Native Grasslands of South-eastern Australia ecological community. It says that the proposed project will result in the removal of 2.334 hectares of native vegetation and three small scattered trees.
Habitat affected
The documentation says that the native vegetation on the site is considered potential habitat for at-risk birds including Brown Treecreeper (South-eastern), Swift Parrot and Hooded Robin as well as the marsupial Brush-tailed Phascogale, saying that its removal may adversely affect these species. Some endangered plants are also indicated to be potentially affected.
The largest threat to native flora and fauna listed in the referral is human activity, particularly since tourist accommodation is the planned use of the site. “This can be in the form of littering, soil compaction from increased vehicle and pedestrian activity, introduction of invasive plants, pathogens and pests, trampling or removal of understory vegetation and collection of timber for the construction of huts, historical demonstrations, media productions and nearby construction.”
The referral documents describe recent destruction of native vegetation that had occurred prior to the site assessment, including earthworks, scraping of topsoil, construction of a marquee, use of trees for construction and clearing of land; all of which it says must immediately cease.
In relation to drainage, the referral states that the majority of the site will drain over land as it currently does and will be diverted via grassed swale drains to a new retention dam located on the northeast boundary of the site. It says that stormwater drainage ‘should not have any adverse impact’ on the natural water course or neighbouring Crown Land and all sewerage from the site will be collected and pumped to Coliban Water’s sewer reticulation system.
Community consultation
The documents state that: “The proposal will be advertised to the local community and referred to relevant referral authorities as part of the planning permit application process” and that a Cultural Heritage Management Plan (CHMP) was prepared for the project area and approved by the CEO of the Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation. The CHMP reportedly did not identify any Aboriginal cultural heritage values “likely owing to a history of disturbance and displacement associated with historic mining and construction of Porcupine Village” but that “the majority of the project area has been identified as an ‘area of cultural heritage sensitivity’.”
Mitigations
The referral included a number of mitigation actions that the project managers intend to institute to protect the environmental values of the site. They include protective fencing, revegetation using appropriate local species, the installation of nest boxes, controlling of feral predators and the engagement of a suitably qualified zoologist to identify nests or hollows and manage any misplaced fauna.
Public comment is invited by next Tuesday 22 April. To view the full referral and associated documents, or make a comment about the project, visit: tinyurl.com/msn2tt37.
This article appeared in Tarrangower Times, 17 April 2025.
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