New concerns raised over Haven Torquay

POLWARTH Liberal MP Richard Riordan has called for an independent adjudicator to be appointed to assess the Haven Torquay development after local residents raised concerns of a possible conflict of interest between the community housing provider and the state Labor government.

The development, set to be built in Silvereye Street in Torquay North, has been funded by Homes Victoria through the state government’s Social Housing Growth Fund and will be delivered in partnership with Mind Australia and subsidiary The Haven Foundation as part of the $5.3 billion Big Housing Build.

In seeking to boost Victoria’s total social housing supply by 10 per cent under the Big Housing Build, the state government implemented a streamlined development approval process whereby the Planning Minister can approve projects and plans, removing the need for a planning permit.

When the Big Housing Build was announced in 2020 and the planning exemptions were put in place, Richard Wynne was both the government’s minister for housing and planning at the time.

Mr Wynne left politics in November 2022 and was appointed to the board of The Haven Foundation and Mind Australia in May of this year, a career shift Torquay North residents opposed to the Silvereye Street development say explains what they feel has been a lack of appropriate consultation on the project.

In addition to the site’s proximity to Torquay Coast Primary School, some residents have been raising concerns about overdevelopment at the site, flagging possible traffic and parking impacts on the nearby school drop-off area.

“Local residents’ concerns about a fair hearing and genuine consultation have been validated with the former minister responsible for their concerns now heading up the company building the inappropriate development,” Mr Riordan said.

“For the sake of transparency, Mind Australia and Homes Victoria must immediately appoint a skilled town planner to have an independent review of this project.

“Mr Wynne’s planning exemptions for the Big Housing Build were not intended to build whatever you want, wherever you want.”

The Haven Foundation executive director of housing strategy Mark Heeney labelled the suggestion of a conflict of interest “baseless”.

“The appointment of Richard Wynne to the board of Mind Australia and The Haven Foundation in no way can be construed to be a conflict of interest,” he said.

“Richard Wynne has not been the housing minister for two years.”

He also dismissed Mr Riordan’s calls for an independent adjudicator to be appointed, stating there was no justification for the move.

“Haven Torquay has been funded and undertaken following the same rigorous planning, evaluation and governance processes by which all community housing is assessed.

“For over 45 years as a not-for-profit organisation, we have supported, advocated for and safely housed some of the state’s most vulnerable members and supported them to have good lives within their communities.

“We take their human rights seriously and will continue to ensure they have a voice in this issue.”

A Victorian government spokesperson said there was a “huge need” to deliver projects like Haven Torquay across the state to “provide safe, modern and well-appointed housing for people with often complex needs, and the wraparound services to help them thrive”.