A VCAT decision last year witnessed the Macedon Ranges Shire Council overruled once more, and created the reality that Riddells Creek’s population will double in mere years to come.
The fear of some is that this sets a precedent for other large blocks of land in the township to be sold and developed. And real estate of this kind has already appeared on the market.
On the Facebook group, Save Riddells Creek, residents have discussed the residential properties that were listed shortly after VCAT’s overruling. In response to a 17-hectare block of land, one resident commented in the forum, “This development, unfortunately, threatens to fundamentally alter the town’s character, and it appears that governmental bodies are currently prioritising their own agendas over the concerns of their citizens”.
When former mayor Dominic Bonanno appeared on Sky News to discuss his disapproval of VCAT’s overruling, he noted the town had geese. It seemingly went over the head of the show’s host, but residents of Riddell knew what it meant; cars habitually slow down or halt when entering the town, while a goose ushers its infant gaggle across the road.
One resident has suggested those days are numbered.
John Ball has lived in the Riddells Creek for 40 years, and said the geese in town provided greater traffic management and speeding mitigation than any government authority ever could.
“When the population doubles, the geese will be flat out trying to hold the traffic flow. They won’t have a hope, and I think the council knows this,” he said.
“They’ll be gone.
“I went for a walk the other day and was taking in all the beauty, all the greenery of the landscapes, and the charm of the town. That’ll be gone too. Nothing is going to survive because all the infrastructure will have to double to cater for the population increase.”
