A planned six-dwelling subdivision of a 2525-square metre block in Kilmore was approved by Mitchell Shire councillors last month despite most of them expressing misgivings about the project.
The block at 33 George Street, which also faces onto Gipps Street, would support an additional five dwellings in addition to the existing residence on about half an acre of land.
While many councillors expressed concerns about the proposal, they said State Government planning regulations had tied their hands, virtually forcing them to approve the project.
Cr Louise Bannister said while she disapproved of the proposal, the fact that it met all relevant planning requirements meant the developer was certain to win a Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, VCAT, appeal if council denied the application.
“I’ll be supporting it, not because it represents best principles, but because it meets all of the requirements of the State Government planning regulations,” she said.
“We’ve spoken before at council meetings of the frustrations we have deciding on these sorts of matters in which the community have raised valid objections but essentially we have no power.
“There are multiple reasons why this development probably needs to be revised to get better outcomes. It’s on the edge of the equine precinct. Does it fit? Does it mitigate climate change appropriately enough by allowing enough garden and tree canopy, which we know is important to prevent hotboxing?
“I implore future developers to please carefully consider the area you develop in. If it’s a rural township, not walkable to trains, buses are limited and there is hardly any employment precinct, consider the future liveability of the houses.”
Cr Bill Chisholm said a proliferation of such dwellings had potential to create ‘slums of the future’.
“What really concerns me is page 289 of [the council meeting agenda] shows unit developments within a 500-metre radius of this development,” he said.
“If they are going to use this as a principle the whole time, we’ll have that whole photo filled with unit developments.
“There has got to be a balance between unit developments and larger blocks, especially when most people who contribute to structure plans – particularly in Kilmore, Broadford, Seymour and Wallan – want the country feel. In a country town you have reasonable-sized blocks.”
Cr Rob Eldridge said he felt ‘powerless’ to stop the development.
“We are essentially bound by State Government regulations. All they’re saying is ‘it’s your problem council. You implement it, and if you don’t, we’ll overturn it anyway’,” he said.
“When you look at [a development] we had late last year where there were 40-odd units a lot smaller than this 2.5 kilometres from town … we got overturned. If that’s a precedent, we’ve got Buckley’s of getting anywhere with VCAT on this one.
“It galls me to think that the State Government really doesn’t give a stuff, but we can’t keep putting money up against the wall at VCAT to fight something that we’re not going to win.”
Cr Bob Cornish said council was ‘caught between a rock and a hard place’.
“We had a structure plan in Wallan where people wanted to maintain their country feel, and then the government goes and changes their lot-size policy, and no matter what the people wanted in the first place, it’s just turfed out with a flick of a pen by the government,” he said.
Cr David Lowe offered qualified support for the development while recognising some of its shortcomings.
“We’re balancing the need for affordable smaller housing, and whilst we sometimes question what the demand for those properties are, the market does seem to indicate that people do need them,” he said.
“We do have a duty to provide a balance of accommodation that ranges from acreage down to relatively small blocks and easily maintainable properties.
“We are balancing our innate desire to protect the existing nature of our townships with the need to bring other types of accommodation in for smaller families and single people who still require accommodation.”
The application passed with Crs Chisholm, Cornish, Lowe, Eldridge and Nathan Clark voting to support it and Crs Bannister, Rhonda Sanderson and Mayor Fiona Stevens against.
