Sanctuary Lakes residents may re-start their campaign to have the area recognised as a suburb after Manor Lakes won its own long-standing battle last week.
As reported by Star Weekly, a campaign by Manor Lakes residents to have the area separated from Wyndham Vale and recognised as its own suburb paid off when the state government announced it would become a registered locality in the City of Wyndham.
Residents spent more than three years lobbying for the change and submitted petitions to the council and government. While their request gained the support of council, it was initially knocked back by the Office of Geographic Names (OGN), which ruled it was not in keeping with naming guidelines.
Sanctuary Lakes residents also asked the council to write to the OGN asking for it to become a suburb.
The council knocked back the request last October, saying it believed that recognising Sanctuary Lakes as a suburb would impact on the Point Cook community and set a precedent for other estates and subdivisions.
But Sanctuary Lakes Resort Services spokesman Ron Smith said residents would consider making another bid for Sanctuary Lakes to become a suburb in light of the Manor Lakes decision.
“Given the circumstances, we will assess our situation in regards to a move in the future to have Sanctuary Lakes recognised as a suburb,” he said.
Sanctuary Lakes residents believe the estate, which was opened in 1996, has reached maturity and, as such, should be recognised as a suburb in its own right rather than being a part of Point Cook.
It’s proposed that the new suburb include the estate, Sanctuary Lakes shopping centre and Sanctuary Lakes Hotel, representing a community of about 9000.
Following the Manor Lakes decision, the council said it would write to the government to seek clarity regarding the naming of suburbs.
The council believes the decision to recognise Manor Lakes as a suburb does not meet present guidelines.
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