Recission on abattoir building delayed

By Lachlan Ellis

A Council motion to impose a new time condition on an abattoir’s expansion was unable to be heard at the latest Development Assessment Committee (DAC), as not enough Councillors were present.

The motion goes back on an amended motion that passed at the 16 February DAC, which allowed Westside Meats to construct a new building at its Woolpack Road facility.

Condition 4 of the original motion required the building to be moved to Parwan within five years, but an amendment proposed by Cr David Edwards struck that condition out.

At the 16 March DAC, however, Cr Moira Berry put forward a rescission motion that, if passed, would impose a seven-year timeframe to move that new building, after construction is complete.

Cr Edwards was an apology for personal reasons, and Cr Rod Ward was also an apology. This meant that under Council’s Local Law, consideration of the rescission needed to be delayed.

“Under Council’s Local Law 3.61c, this matter cannot be considered, as the number of Councillors in attendance at the meeting has to be equal to the number of Councillors in attendance when the original resolution was passed, so we cannot proceed with this,” Mayor Cr Tom Sullivan explained.

Cr Paul Tatchell enquired as to when the rescission motion would be heard again, with the next DAC scheduled for more than a month away on 20 April.

“On the basis that rescission motion won’t be heard tonight, I imagine there are some commercial implications. Would it be appropriate to try to organise Councillors to hold a Special Meeting? Another month might have significant commercial or financial implications to the applicant,” he said.

Council CEO Derek Madden replied they will look into it “straight after this meeting”. “Reading the rescission motion and the Local Law, we need to get clarity as to if it can be brought to the [6 April] Ordinary Meeting of Council,” he said.

Cr Berry who said she worked hard and put in an enormous effort to get this turned over, was disappointed that they could not discuss the item.

“It is a very important motion, and I felt the need to rescind this to a more acceptable motion,” she said.

To read the full story – Simply click on the following link

https://issuu.com/themooraboolnews/docs/mn_2022-03-22/8

in the 22 March 2022 edition
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