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To: Wyndham City Council – Planning Department
Subject: Formal Objection to Planning Application WYP14922/25 – 425 Point Cook Road, Point Cook
Dear Wyndham Planning Officers,
I write to lodge a consolidated and urgent objection to Planning Application WYP14922/25, proposing the development of a Camping and Caravan Park at 425 Point Cook Road, Point Cook. This submission reflects the united voice of the residents of Point Cook and summarises our collective and unwavering opposition to this proposal, which we believe threatens the safety, amenity, and character of our community.
PRE-EMPTIVE CIVIL WORKS – HAS COUNCIL ALREADY APPROVED THIS?
Civil works and kerb alterations at the site are already underway, despite the application still being under public consultation. This raises serious questions:
On what authority were these works approved?
Has Council issued conditional or informal support to the developer before a formal decision?
Why are residents being consulted after physical site changes have begun?
These actions undermine public trust and suggest a closed-door arrangement that disrespects the principles of fair planning.
TOKENISTIC AND INADEQUATE PUBLIC CONSULTATION
Site signage is poorly placed and unreadable from the road.
No direct mail, community meetings, or public kiosks were offered.
Most residents within 500m of the site remain unaware of the application.
We demand:
An extended consultation period of 12 weeks;
Mail-outs to all residents within 10km;
A staffed kiosk at Point Cook Town Centre;
A public Q&A forum with the developer and planning team.
TOURISM MEGA-COMPLEX — NOT A SIMPLE CAMPING PARK
This is not a minor development. The proposal includes:
185 self-contained cabins
48 caravan bays
40 tent spaces
Shared kitchens, public amenities, landscaped areas
Integration with the adjacent Starr Point Market site
Over 270 temporary accommodation units will flood our neighbourhood with short-term traffic, noise, and policing needs. This is incompatible with local zoning, infrastructure, and strategic land use policy.
CRIME AND SAFETY RISKS
Increased transient population raises risk of antisocial behaviour
Close proximity to schools (e.g., Point Cook P-9 College) and playgrounds poses a serious child safety risk
Under-resourced local police cannot accommodate this population influx
Where is the risk assessment? Where is the increased safety funding?
TRAFFIC IMPACT – A COMMUNITY ALREADY STRUGGLING
Point Cook Road is a known congestion hotspot:
Daily school drop-off delays exceed 30 minutes
Weekend sports traffic gridlocks local streets
Proposed site has only 37 parking bays
We demand the immediate public release of any Traffic Impact Assessment. Approval without one is a breach of Clause 52.06 of the Wyndham Planning Scheme.
EMERGENCY ACCESS COMPROMISED
The scale and traffic footprint of this development will:
Delay emergency response
Increase road accidents
Block vital access routes during emergencies
Who will be responsible when delays cost lives?
POINT COOK IS A FAMILY SUBURB, NOT A TOURIST ZONE
The Wyndham Housing and Neighbourhood Character Strategy (2023) designates this area as:
"Contemporary Garden/Garden Court zones: low-rise, landscaped, family-oriented housing."
This caravan park:
Violates these planning principles
Erodes long-standing community identity
Creates planning precedent for future incompatible developments
IMPACT ON LOCAL BUSINESS, STAFF AND COMMUNITY
Nearby business owners report concerns over:
Shoplifting, harassment, and abusive behaviour
Declining foot traffic from loyal customers
Disruption to community shopping culture
This development threatens Saltwater Promenade businesses, Sanctuary Lakes Shopping Centre and Starr Point Market viability.
PROPERTY VALUES AND AMENITY LOSS
Approving this development will:
Depress home values across the area
Deter future homebuyers
Shatter Point Cook's image as a safe family suburb
PLANNING NON-COMPLIANCE AND STRATEGIC FAILURE
The proposal breaches multiple Wyndham Planning Scheme clauses:
Clause 02.03-6 (Neighbourhood Character)
Clause 02.03-8 (Transport and Traffic)
Clause 52.06 (Car Parking and Traffic Impact)
Clause 11.01-1S (Sustainable Development and Land Use Integration)
LACK OF TRANSPARENCY, LOSS OF TRUST
Council must publicly disclose:
Who authorised civil works
Whether pre-approval discussions occurred
What correspondence exists with the developer
This lack of transparency erodes trust and violates the expectation of due process.
FORMAL DEMANDS
We formally demand:
Immediate and permanent rejection of Application WYP14922/25
Cessation of all civil works on the site
Release of all impact assessments (traffic, social, safety, environmental)
Independent planning panel review
Restoration of community trust through open forums and full disclosure
FINAL WARNING TO COUNCIL
Will you uphold policy and protect families, or prioritise speculative commercial interests?
We are prepared to escalate:
Through VCAT
Via Ministerial intervention
And through public and media campaigns
We urge you to act with integrity and reject this application unequivocally.
A Community Under Siege – If This Is Approved, We Will Not Recover
The proposal will tear apart the quiet residential fabric of Point Cook, replacing it with a transient, high-risk, low-supervision commercial site—mere metres from homes, childcare centres, aged care residences, and a busy school precinct.
As a design professional, I have never seen a proposal so clearly misaligned with a neighbourhood’s character. The location is wrong. The planning logic is non-existent. And the risk is beyond measurable.
The proposed development will:
• Shatter the sense of safety that families, women, and elderly residents rely on every day.
• Invite rising crime, antisocial behaviour, and economic decline—as seen in other towns who made similar mistakes.
• Overburden police, fire, and emergency responders, reducing response times across the entire district.
• Create irreversible traffic safety hazards on one of Point Cook’s most critical arterial roads.
This is not exaggeration—it is urban decay in slow motion. Once approved, the damage will be permanent.
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Grave Planning and Procedural Failures
Wyndham City Council is entrusted with a sacred duty: to protect and plan for its people. Yet this process has been handled with a level of disregard that borders on negligence.
• Civil works have commenced—including kerb, road, and earth modifications—before the planning decision has even been finalised.
• No traffic impact studies have been transparently shared with residents.
• No proper crime impact assessment has been conducted or disclosed.
• And most critically: The community was not adequately consulted, nor properly informed.
These failures are not minor process lapses. They are indicators of a system failing the very people it is supposed to serve.
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Examples of Responsible Councils Protecting Their Communities
Let me remind Council of its peers who faced similar proposals—and chose integrity:
• Craigieburn (Hume City Council, 2022):
Caravan park rejected after resident protests; council cited risk to community safety and long-term urban coherence.
• Rosebud (Mornington Peninsula Shire, 2021):
Application refused following widespread concern over antisocial activity, noise complaints, and damage to residential amenity.
• Armstrong Creek (City of Greater Geelong, 2020):
Proposal halted due to overwhelming evidence of conflict with suburban planning and inadequate service access.
These councils stood up and said no. Wyndham must now do the same. The people of Point Cook are watching. So is the broader public.
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A Warning – What Is At Stake?
If this proposal is approved, this Council will be remembered for:
• Sacrificing one of Melbourne’s most promising family suburbs.
• Ignoring cries for safety from its own constituents.
• Choosing developer profits over community wellbeing.
The families of Point Cook are not a statistic. We are not “collateral” for growth. We are a living, breathing, invested community—and we will not accept this silently.
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Call to Immediate Action
I demand the following, as a professional and resident:
1. An immediate halt to all works occurring at or near the proposed site.
2. A full independent investigation into how civil works commenced prior to planning approval.
3. Immediate transparency about all developer communications, council internal memos, and planning panel discussions.
4. A complete and permanent rejection of Planning Application WYP14922/25.
This is not just about planning—this is about legacy.
Will your legacy be a safe, flourishing community—or a broken, lawless precinct?
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