NEARLY thirty residents are pushing back against Golden Plains Shire\u2019s plan to rezone the northern section of Bannockburn\u2019s recreation precinct.<\/p>\n
The move was made during a regular meeting in March 2021 when 3.5 hectares of the land was deemed surplus with the aim of subdividing and selling it as residential property.<\/p>\n
Josh Trowell is one of the people campaigning against the plan, and said the site can still be used for additional sporting and community venues.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat land has the potential to be used for a range of different uses,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think council\u2019s being really shortsighted in saying they don\u2019t need this land right now for a footy oval or something when years later they may need it.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of the residents have also bought their houses at a premium that are directly opposite the park and they\u2019re obviously very upset with the expectation that park\u2019s going to stay there.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been reserved for a park, and there\u2019s a whole heap it could be used for. There\u2019s been talk of a swimming pool, even now it\u2019s just a great place to walk your dog or fly a kite.\u201d<\/p>\n
The municipality lodged the move as a Planning Scheme amendment, and the proposal went to the Minister for Planning whose office carried out community consultation.<\/p>\n
Two Planning Panels Victoria hearings are slated with the first session to be held next Wednesday followed by a second proceeding in early September.<\/p>\n
Mr Trowell said he isn\u2019t happy with the lack of community engagement in 2021.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf they had have consulted properly, I think they would\u2019ve found out how many are actually against this,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve decided it off their own back and left the consultation process to the State Government.\u201d<\/p>\n
A Golden Plains Shire spokesperson said the community has been made aware of the plan.<\/p>\n
\u201cConsultation has been completed by the relevant planning authority, which in this case was the Minister for Planning,\u201d the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n
\u201cCouncil will conduct community engagement as required by section 114 of the Local Government Act 2020 at the time that council determines to sell the land.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe profits from the sale of this land will be placed in a recreation fund to be used to support new recreation infrastructure for the growing municipality.\u201d<\/p>\n
Should the land be rezoned, 51 residential lots are set to be proposed following subdivision.<\/p>\n
Mayor Cr Brett Cunningham opposed the original decision in 2021 alongside Cr Les Rowe, but left the regular council meeting during the item\u2019s revisitation in February due to a declared conflict of interest.<\/p>\n
Cr Rowe attempted to pull back on the decision but was outvoted with only himself and Cr Ian Getsom in support of the motion.<\/p>\n
Director of infrastructure and environment Phil Josipovic said during the meeting that the land was unsuitable to cater for the Bannockburn Growth Plan, which outlined a need for at least two football ovals and netball courts.<\/p>\n
Between lobbying to the municipality, including with a petition created in March which has reached nearly 1000 signatures, Mr Trowell said their concerns have gone unheard.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t feel like we\u2019re being listened to by council,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey haven\u2019t done any strategic work around how this land can be used, and they haven\u2019t spoken to the community.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce they lose that public land, they won\u2019t be able to get it back.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NEARLY thirty residents are pushing back against Golden Plains Shire\u2019s plan to rezone the northern section of Bannockburn\u2019s recreation precinct. The move was made during a regular meeting in March 2021 when 3.5 hectares of the land was deemed surplus with the aim of subdividing and selling it as residential property. Josh Trowell is one […]<\/p>\n