Ex-councillor calls out childcare contention

GOLDEN Plains Shire’s first mayor and a former councillor of about four decades has hit back against the municipality’s recent refusal to grant planning permits for two new childcare centres for Bannockburn.

Councillors voted against both items, with one centre proposed for 25 Burns Street, and the other at 21 Milton Street, during their regular meeting last week despite both applications satisfying the Shire’s planning scheme requirements.

Des Phelan said council should stick to their planning scheme.

“The mayor gave his casting vote against the planning scheme he should be upholding,” he said.

“Go back to 1996, 97. Before the restructure, there were no planning schemes in Victoria and rural municipalities and everyone planned on an IDO [intra development order].

“I was the first mayor of Golden Plains Shire and Rob MacLellan was the Minister for Planning at the time. The mayors and CEOS of rural Victoria went to have a chat with him and we instigated a planning scheme.

“He said ‘you adopt your planning scheme, and you plan to it.’ The rulebook’s the rulebook. The mayor’s gone against his own planners which is poor planning and local government.

“If you’ve got a scheme, plan to it. They’ve probably had only two or three amendments since it was instigated in Golden Plains.”

During the meeting, councillors cited concerns regarding the sites’ unsuitability as well as potential issues with parking and amenity as cause for their voting against.

Councillors were divided between both items, with the Burns Street application refusal down to the casting vote of the chair.

Mr Phelan said the decision is also a poor one given the continuous need for childcare centres in the region.

“Childcare centres seem to be to me the thing of the present and the future, and everybody needs them,” he said.

“If you’re going to establish a municipality and have facilities for people to use so they can go to work, it’s paramount.

“Childcare was only growing when I was on council. If you look at Bannockburn in the last 10 years, the population’s exploded, and there’s even childcare up my end of the municipality in Haddon.

“They’re a facility that’s required.”

GPS interim CEO, Michael Tudball, said both refusals have since been repealed. “Since the meeting, I have received two notices of motion to rescind or amend the decisions made at the meeting from councillors,” he said.

“In alignment with council’s governance rules, the notice of decision to refuse the applications as resolved at the council meeting will not be issued at this time.

“The notices of motion to rescind or amend the decisions will be listed for the next ordinary council meeting on 23 July at The Well in Smythesdale.

“Depending on the outcomes of the council meeting next steps will then be determined by council in resolving on this matter.”

Mr Tudball added more childcare facilities will still be needed to account for the region’s growth.

“Whilst childcare services within Golden Plains are…meeting the demands of the community, anticipated population growth in Bannockburn and surrounding townships will lead to increased demand,” he said.