Techno Park development: Shock twist for inner-city Melbourne estate facing ... trends now
Dozens of residents embroiled in an ugly zoning dispute remain in limbo, despite the council hitting pause on mass evictions.
More than 100 residents at the Techno Park complex at Williamstown in Melbourne's inner-west were given a six-month deadline in May last year to move out or be threatened with legal action.
The order was from Hobsons Bay Council after it suddenly decided to enforce industrial zoning rules that have been around for more than 30 years.
The council claimed residents in the industrial area were 'at risk' due to their close proximity to a Mobil fuel storage site, which ceased operations in 2021.
Affected residents faced the threat of homelessness in the middle of a national housing crisis, before internal documents revealed that prior to evictions being issued, the council knew that residents had been living at Techno Park for more than 15 years.
A change in Victoria's planning laws implemented in February meant that councils must now recognise residents' 'existing use' rights after 15 years.
Residents had until mid-May to move out until the council announced last Friday that evictions have been paused as it examines its legal options.
More than 100 residents call the Techno Park estate home, which is in the middle of an industrial area
But with no timeframes provided, the residents' desperate fight to stay continues.
'It's a welcome first step and a big relief,' Techno Park resident Lara Week told Daily Mail Australia.
'But we need an end to the stress and heartache caused by the uncertainty.'
She has accused the council of 'deliberately' trying to extinguish residents' rights by issuing evictions.
'The amount of harm it's had on people has been unbearable and it's time to put a stop to it,' Ms Week added.
'The ball is in the council's court.'
Thousands of residents have called the complex home since 1969.
The Wiltona Migrant Hostel originally housed migrants and refugees post-World War II.
The hostel also accommodated Darwin residents displaced by the devastation of Cyclone Tracy at Christmas 1974.
The complex was sold into the private market in 1989 and is now home to residents from all walks of life, from owner-occupiers and renters to young families, migrants and the elderly.
Techno Park residents (pictured) have spent the last 11 months fighting to stay in their homes
The complex built in the 1960s (pictured) initially housed newly arrived migrants
While a handful of residents complied with eviction notices, many have vowed to stay and fight, including Mike Rowan who has advanced aggressive prostate cancer.
He described the council's eviction letter as horrifying.
'It said you must immediately leave,'
