Let's make our community a better place!
Let's make our community a better place!
Help stop the Woolworths towers and supermarket ruin the environment and community of Elsternwick.
Download rally posters below.
Woolworths isn’t just a supermarket chain, it’s one of Australia’s biggest property developers.
There is no limit to Woolworths’ greed and excess.
When councils refuse to permit Woolworths’ overdevelopments, they send in expensive lawyers to fight communities in court.
Everywhere Woolworths go, communities suffer.
Huge apartment towers, oversized supermarkets, massive car parks and traffic chaos are the hallmarks of a Woolworths development. They call it “mixed-use” development. Everyone else calls it over- development.
The Fresh Food People are leaving a rotten legacy of greed and overdevelopment, and communities are fed up.
Every new Woolworths development comes with increased traffic, semi-trailer loading bays and residential towers that dwarf neighbouring houses. Woolworths’ Elsternwick proposal is a planning disaster – two towers of 9 and 10 storeys looming over houses, a car park that will cause traffic gridlock in a local street and a truck loading bay across the road from a primary school and adjacent to a pedestrian crossing used by young children.
Not only will kids have to run the gauntlet of semi-trailers and hundreds more cars, but they’ll also be exposed to dangerous diesel fumes in the classroom and the schoolyard.
Woolworths promises shareholders good governance and sustainability while creating overdevelopment, congestion and more dangerous emissions.
The community has united to fight the development, forming Stop the Elsternwick Towers and taking the project to the state’s planning tribunal. The application was twice refused by the local council before a secret backroom deal to secure its approval. Woolworths has ignored the locals’ concerns about traffic, safety, and the massive overdevelopment of a site in a suburban street and will instead try to get its monstrosity approved through the courts.
Glen Iris When Woolworths applied for a new supermarket in Melbourne’s Glen Iris, it came with all the usual strings attached – four storeys of residential apartments, 300 underground car parks and a nightmare of traffic and congestion issues. When the council refused the proposal after a huge public backlash, Woolworths marched off to the courts to get an approval. Even the developer-friendly planning tribunal refused Woolworths’ overdevelopment plans, calling it “unacceptable” and “inappropriate”.
If Glen Iris residents can beat Woolworths, so can any other community.
Join the fight, support our cause today.
#worseoffwithwoolies
Join the fight, and support our cause today.
Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/stoptheelsternwicktowers
or donate to our campaign.
https://chuffed.org/project/stop-woolworths-elsternwick
#worseoffwithwoolies
Donate today via EFT
In order to be able to best represent the interests of the local residents and community at the upcoming VCAT Hearing, Stop The Elsternwick Towers (STET) Resident Action Group is seeking financial contributions. The funds requested will be used to pay for expert representation including legal, town planning and traffic management up until and including the VCAT hearing in May 2022.
Any unused funds will be refunded proportionately to each contributor.
A receipt will be provided to each contributor from the STET Committee Chair.
Contributions will initially be paid into a dedicated bank account then transferred into a legal practice statutory trust account.
Contributions can be made by cheque or EFT into the following account:
Bendigo Bank – Elsternwick Branch (Glenhuntly Rd, cnr St. Georges Rd)
Acc. Name: Stop the Elsternwick Towers
BSB: 633-000
Acc No.: 166 384 842
If making an EFT, please identify yourself in the transaction and also send an email to communitybeforetowers@gmail.com at the same time with your name, address and contact number
Alternatively you can donate here:
Hundreds of concerned Elsternwick residents protested on Saturday at a proposed development by Woolworths.
Bipartisan support came from speakers at the rally including State MP David Southwick, Federal Member for Macnamara Josh Burns, Member of the State Legistative Council Clifford Hayes and Steph Hodgins-May, Greens Candidiate for Macnamara.
Since 2019, residents have been fighting the development on the old ABC site in Selwyn Street Elsternwick. It has been discovered that Glen Eira Councillors voted last week in secret to approve the controversial Woolworths development in Elsternwick.
It has left residents furious at the lack of transparency and accountability by the council. “The back flip by council in secret is cowardly and wrong.” said STET spokesperson Kathy Deacon.
The development will still head back to VCAT in May, with Stop the Elsternwick Towers now representing residents in a fight against both the Council and Woolworths.
“Woolworths simply do not care about the issues that impact our local community” said spokesperson Kathy Deacon.
“The excessive traffic congestion and pollution this development brings will endanger lives. This development will add over 22 delivery trucks and 6000 car movements per day in residential streets and sits opposite a school – it is just a totally inappropriate site for this type of supermarket development” said Kathy.
“Combine this with the lack of respect for the heritage in the area, in particular the adjoining National Trust home, Glenmoore House and overshadowing onto parkland in Glen Huntly Rd, the lifelong consequences for this development are profound.”
This fight against Woolworths is part of a broader issue in the city of Glen Eira, that has seen residents angry at the inappropriatness of developments in Carnegie, Bentleigh, and Caulfield South including around Caulfield racecourse.
20th September 2021
Dear Sholem Aleichem College Board Member
Re: Proposed Development of 10-16 Selwyn Street, Elsternwick
We are members of the resident action group “Stop the Elsternwick Towers” (“STET”) and write on its behalf. We are contacting you in your capacity as a Member of the Board of Sholem Aleichem College. STET believes that the College’s pupils and parents will be adversely affected by the proposed supermarket development at 10-16 Selwyn Street and seeks to encourage you to oppose it in VCAT.
In August 2021, the Glen Eira Council refused, for a second time, the proposal by Fabcot Pty. Ltd. (on behalf of Woolworths), to build a full size supermarket and residential towers on the site. This decision has now been appealed by Woolworths to VCAT.
The full size supermarket will face both Selwyn and Sinclair Streets and will have two residential towers erected above it together with other structures. The proposed right-angled structure will extend up the side of each of the respective streets which places the supermarket in the immediate vicinity of the school, across the road (and juxtaposed at an angle) in Sinclair Street.
If the development proceeds, traffic in the area will increase enormously. Woolworths itself estimates that the number of daily vehicle movements for its supermarket alone will be approximately 5000.
More particularly, Sinclair Street will be adversely affected by the access point/loading bay for delivery trucks. Trucks will access the development at a location generally opposite the eastern end of the school’s Sinclair Street frontage. The loading bay will be in close proximity to the area in Sinclair Street designated for pedestrian access to the school. This area is also the drop off area for students. As we understand it, virtually all pupils enter and leave the school in that area.
Woolworths’ evidence suggest that around 25 trucks per day will use their loading bay and although it may be suggested they will stagger their delivery times to avoid peak school hours, this is by no means certain. Observations made at other supermarkets establish that if arriving trucks cannot be accommodated within a supermarket loading bay on initial arrival, they circulate in nearby streets or roads until they have access. It is clear that the schools’ students will be adversely affected by the increased traffic, in general, and by the busy truck movements, in particular. This will create a heightened risk of physical injury to students and parents.
But a significant other problem will be created. The air pollution cause by truck and vehicle exhaust will directly affect the areas of the drop off zone and school playground and will necessarily create a health hazard to students. Recently, a submission to the Victorian Government enquiry into the health impacts of air pollution (Claire Walter and others – University of Melbourne 2021) contains the following key recommendations:
- The main anthropogenic sources of air pollution involve combustion processes. Vehicle emissions, coal-fire power stations and wood heaters are the key sources of preventable air pollution in Victoria and therefore mitigation strategies should include a strong focus on the sources;
- Children are disproportionately impacted by air pollution and merit particular attention. Exposing children to vehicle emissions contributes to our already very high prevalence of asthma and allergies along with leading to a host of other lifelong health complications. There are international examples of successful strategies that have reduced children’s exposure to roadside pollution and resulted in measurable health improvements. Australian practice lags by international standards. To address this lag and improve Victorian children’s health, emulation of these international strategies should be swiftly implemented.
In summary, we suggest that the relevant risks to the school community pertain to physical injury from increased vehicular (including truck) traffic and health complications caused by exhaust fumes.
In these circumstances, we urge you to join us in opposing the appeal. In particular, we urge you to become a party to the VCAT appeal and present a case detailing the dangers to students posed by the development. We are well aware of the agreement entered into between the school and Woolworths in relation to the provision by Woolworths at a discounted price of a place of assembly/community facility in the new development. However, with the proposed development of the Jewish Museum in Selwyn Street, which development will include a theatre. a community facility and a performing arts auditorium, the school may well be able to avail itself of those facilities as an alternative. In any event, we suggest that health considerations should be of primary importance.
We therefore request that you reconsider your support of the Woolworths proposal given the issues we have raised. We would be happy to provide you with any further background information pertaining to the above or to meet you in person.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely,
Stop the Elsternwick Towers
As you may be aware Woolworths recent changes to their proposal for
10-16 Selwyn Street has been rejected by Council for a second time.
The reasons for refusal were as follows:
The response to the Glen Eira City Council council vote last night to REJECT the proposed Woolworths ten storey towers in the local heritage area of Elsternwick Village has been overwhelming.
The local residents have campaigned long and hard against this development through the Stop The Elsternwick Towers group.
This should be a wake up call to planners, councillors and politicians all over Melbourne that residents are well and truly fed up with inappropriate development and that this is a major issue that needs to be addressed.
The planning laws are simply broken.
Thank you to all the Councillors who unanimously voted against this proposal.
We fully support Glen Eira City Council's plans for a pedestrian and cultural precinct in Selwyn St and this vision should not be compromised by inappropriate development.
In addition, the Stop the Elsternwick Towers Group has discovered that the proposed site contains an existing road. We have expert legal advice that May Street West is a road, and has never been discontinued by Glen Eira Council. Legally it belongs to Council on behalf of ratepayers and not Woolworths, who have gated the area and plan to build over it.
Given the proximity of the site to the recently approved Selwyn Street Cultural & Pedestrian Precinct, we are calling for the return of the road to the residents of Elsternwick by way of a public park.
The road has never been sold, never been discontinued, and is not Woolworths to develop.
The City of Glen Eira, and in particular Elsternwick, has the least amount of open space per person in Melbourne. This road represents a once in a lifetime opportunity to create new open space for the community who are crying out for more public parks. In addition, it complements the newly approved Selwyn Street Cultural & Pedestrian Precinct, which is planned to be the heart and soul of our neighbourhood.
The Glen Eira Open Space Strategy has identified a distinct lack of parkland in this area. Given that Council already own the land, a unique opportunity exists to create public open space at a minimal cost.
The controversial Woolworths development in Elsternwick may be stopped after it was discovered that the proposed site contains an existing road. Resident group Stop the Elsternwick Towers has expert legal advice that May Street West is a road, and has never been discontinued by Glen Eira Council. Legally it belongs to Council on behalf of rate payers and not Woolworths, who have gated the area and plan to build over it.
“The road has never been sold, never been discontinued, and is not Woolworths to develop” said STET spokesperson Kathy Deacon.
Given the proximity of the site to the recently approved Selwyn Street Cultural & Pedestrian Precinct, STET is calling for the return of the road to the residents of Elsternwick by way of a public park.
“The city of Glen Eira, and in particular Elsternwick, has the least amount of open space per person in Melbourne. This road represents a once in a lifetime opportunity to create new open space for the community who are crying out for more public parks. In addition, it complements the newly approved Selwyn Street Cultural & Pedestrian Precinct, which is planned to be the heart and soul of our neighbourhood”.
Woolworths have resubmitted plans to the Glen Eira Council after they lost a protracted two-year fight against residents & Glen Eira Council at VCAT. The residents’ concerns about the revised plans remain unchanged, including the dominant height and shadowing of the buildings in a local heritage area, particularly the heritage listed Glen Huntly Road shopping precinct. Woolworths have also ignored the council endorsed Selwyn Street Cultural & Pedestrian Precinct plans, replacing proposed pedestrian pavement spaces with lanes of traffic to access the supermarket carpark. Additionally, Woolworths want cars to be directed through a proposed partial road closure onto residential streets.
The Glen Eira Open Space Strategy has identified a distinct lack of parkland in this area. Given that Council already own the land, a unique opportunity exists to create public open space at a minimal cost.
The revised Woolworths proposal is up for vote at Glen Eira Council on August 10.
We have corflute fence signage available if you would like to show your support.
Simply email your details (name, address & mobile) to communitybeforetowers@gmail.com and we can deliver and install if you wish.
All we ask is that you donate $20 to cover the cost of the signs.
You can deposit here :
Bendigo Bank
Elsternwick Branch (Glenhuntly Rd, cnr St. Georges Rd)
Acc. Name: Stop the Elsternwick Towers
BSB: 633-000
Acc No.: 166 384 842
· No changes to the northern tower.
· No changes to the supermarket.
· No changes to the traffic gridlock and parking issues this will create for residents.
· Still dominating the heritage view of the Glen Huntly Rd shopping strip with no narrowing and no further setback provided as recommended by VCAT.
· Reduced height of the southern tower to the Maximum allowed by the DDO, but still 14 meters above the council preferred height of 23 meters.
· Additional setback of 2 meters for the neighbours to the east, still 4 metres short of the requirements of the DDO at 9 meters height and 7 meters’ closer than requirements at the 4th floor. The 5th to 8th floor should be set back a further 12 meters.
We are a community-based organization focused on stopping the Elsternwick Towers and Woolworths Supermarket. We are very concerned about inappropriate development in Glen Eira.
Are you passionate about what we're doing? Let us know! Help us save Glen Huntly Road from becoming covered in wall-to-wall high rise towers. We'd be devestated if this area became the next Docklands.
Don't like what you see here? Tell Woolworths and the Glen Eira Council what you think!
Woolworths: https://www.facebook.com/woolworths/
Mayor of Glen Eira Council: Cr Margaret Esakoff
e:MEsakoff@gleneira.vic.gov.au
Sign up to help have your voice heard
Copyright © 2018 Stoptheelsternwicktowers - All Rights Reserved.