Mornington Peninsula Shire Council has approved the installation of two engineered protective barriers as part of efforts to help three McCrae households return home sooner.
The barriers will be installed on Council-owned land at Penny Lane, McCrae to address risks associated with the 2022 and 2025 landslides.
After assessing options, Council determined the best approach was to install two engineered barriers using ballasted shipping containers. The barriers can be installed quickly, are designed to provide a robust safety measure and can be painted or screened. These barriers are commonly used around the world to address landslide risks.
Mayor Stephen Batty said Council's priority was to get affected residents safely back into their homes as soon as possible.
"This approach mitigates landslide risks, can be delivered quickly and is a responsible use of ratepayer funds providing a robust safety response. Although the Shire does not accept responsibility for either landslide, we are committed to helping our residents to return home and to ensure the hillside is stabilised.
"We understand this has been an extraordinarily difficult and frustrating period for affected residents.
"Our focus is simple - we want these residents back in their homes as soon as it's safe to do so," Cr Batty said.
The Shire will move quickly to progress the necessary design, approvals and construction arrangements to begin works on the barrier walls and see them completed as soon as possible.
Any return home will remain subject to the required engineering, safety and regulatory assessments, including the variation or removal of existing emergency orders.
Property owners will also be responsible for any remaining works required on their private property to enable the emergency order to be lifted for them to return home.
The ballasted shipping container walls can be removed once the private property owners have completed stabilisation works on the hillside above the barriers. With the hillside stabilised satisfactorily there will be no further need for barrier walls.
The Shire will continue communicating directly with affected residents as the works progress.
