Work will begin on remediation and protection of the site of the 2020 landslip at the Esplanade, Mount Martha, following a $2.19 million grant from the Federal Government’s Disaster Ready Fund (DRF).
The Mornington Peninsula Shire Council is matching the Federal Government’s contribution of $2.19 million to the project.
On 29 September 2020, a landslip occurred on the slope above the Esplanade in Mount Martha, between Ellerina Road and Bradford Road. Approximately 30 tonnes of material and vegetation slipped onto the Esplanade, completely blocking the road. Thankfully, no vehicles or pedestrians were present at the time and no injuries occurred.
The houses above the landslip are not thought to be at structural risk, according to the Council, but the slope remains vulnerable to further landslips.
Under a joint co-funded agreement between the Shire and the Victorian State Government Department of Transport and Planning (DTP), works on landslip remediation were planned in begin in early 2023.
However, the DTP funding of $1.7 million was withdrawn, and all advocacy efforts from the Shire to recover the funding were unsuccessful. Without the funding from the State Labor Government, the Shire had no choice but to pause the project until an alternative funding measure became available.
With the 30 August 2024 announcement of the DRF’s $2.19 million grant, the Shire reclaimed the funding needed to complete the project. The project aims to reinstate the service road that slid onto the Esplanade below it, as well as take measures to ensure that such a landslip does not happen again.
These measures include stabilisation of the embankment, as well as the construction of engineered retaining walls. This ensures that future risk to lives and property are significantly mitigated.
The cooperation between Local and Federal Governments means that despite the Victorian Labor Government’s decision to withhold funding from this worthy cause, this project can finally be completed, and the safety of Mount Martha residents secured.
ENDS.
