Community calls on Council to honour promise and preserve Allambi Avenue parkland in full
A community campaign to protect public parkland at 11a Allambi Avenue, Capel Sound, is gaining momentum ahead of a key Mornington Peninsula Shire Council meeting next Tuesday, 12 August.
Residents, supported by former councillor Debra Mar, are calling on Council and Shire officers to honour a 2022 discussions to preserve the land as parkland in perpetuity — and to drop current plans to divide the space for housing.
The 11a Allambi site, has long served as a rare green space in one of the Peninsula’s most disadvantaged suburbs. But it has been included in the draft Open Space Strategy, set to go to public consultation, as a potential split-use site: 50% retained as parkland, and 50% developed for housing.
Community members say that goes against the spirit of Council’s own unanimous vote last year in 2024 and will irreparably damage one of the few open spaces available in Capel Sound.
“If the parkland is split in half, there’s barely room left for a swing, let alone space for families and dogs to enjoy,” Debra Mar told STPL News.
“This land was intended as parkland in perpetuity — that promise should be upheld.”
Years of community action
In 2022, Mornington Peninsula Shire issued an expression of interest (EOI) to developers seeking potential sites for social housing projects on Council-owned land — including 11a Allambi Avenue.
In response, the local community launched a grassroots campaign to protect the land. Volunteers doorknocked homes, delivered flyers, and gathered over 700 signatures on a petition calling for the park to remain untouched.
The petition was tabled at a Council meeting the same year, alongside multiple public submissions from Capel Sound residents.
In 2023, Cr Debra Mar submitted a Notice of Motion (NOM462) requesting the land be rezoned from General Residential Zone (GRZ) to Public Park and Recreation Zone (PPRZ). Council unanimously supported the motion, with all 11 councillors in the chamber at the time voting in favour.
That motion formed the basis for 11a Allambi’s inclusion in the Open Space Strategy — but residents say the updated strategy backflips on Council’s commitment.
“The Capel Sound community and key stakeholders in the area have made it quite clear how they feel about 11a Allambi,” Kazzie McIntosh, a founding campaigner told STPL News in an interview.
“People built their homes in Wingara Drive about 20 years ago being advised that parkland would be created on 11a Allambi. The fact that this did not happen was a complete betrayal by Council.
“The previous Council voted unanimously to retain this as open space, and we need them to follow through — with 100% parkland, not a 50–50 split.”
“We’ve already done our part”
The Capel Sound Community Group, Seawinds Community Hub, Eastbourne Primary School, the Rosebud Men’s Shed, and other local stakeholders have all submitted letters of support to Council officers urging the land be protected in full.
Their concerns are both local and systemic. Capel Sound is officially recognised as one of the most disadvantaged postcodes in Australia, and community leaders say it is unfair to burden the area with more development while taking away public amenities.
“Current housing policy discourages the concentration of disadvantage,” said Ms Mar.
“It’s unreasonable to suggest there are no better-located sites across the Shire.”
State MP backs residents
State Member for Nepean, Sam Groth MP, has also weighed in, calling on Council to protect the green space and criticising the Victorian Government for removing local control over planning decisions.
“As the local Member for Nepean, I have met with residents, council, school staff and other community group representatives in relation to the potential rezoning of land at Allambi Avenue.
“I will continue to urge the Mornington Peninsula Shire Council to do everything they can to try and ensure that this land is preserved as green space.
“Local residents should not have their say in planning matters taken out of their hands by the Allan Labor Government because they have overseen a housing crisis for more than a decade.
“I strongly believe that residents should have a say in planning decisions that impact their neighbourhoods.”
Council Meeting at Tyabb Community Hall
A mini-bus of residents from Capel Sound will be travelling to the Council meeting on Tuesday 12 August at Tyabb Community Hall, assembling outside with banners at 5:30pm to demonstrate their position.
The Open Space Strategy draft — which includes the 11a Allambi proposal — is scheduled to be released for public consultation following the meeting.
Residents are urging the wider Peninsula community to support Capel Sound’s push to keep 11a Allambi as full parkland.
“This is not just about Capel Sound,” Ms Mar said.
“It’s about protecting the last of our public open spaces across the Peninsula.”
Meeting details:
- Tyabb Community Hall
- Monday 12 August 2025
- Council meeting: 6:00pm
