Shed plans will have to wait

By Lachlan Ellis

A Hopetoun Park man will have to wait a little longer to hear whether he’ll be allowed to build a shed on his property, as his application to vary a covenant has been deferred.

The applicant, Mr Quigley, addressed Council at its 21 September Development Assessment Committee, asking for a shed permit and comparing his application to larger sheds in the area.

“We’ve been in the process for about a year and half now. We’ve gone through all the procedure, done everything. We moved here to have the big shed and the space, I’m sure you hear that a lot at the moment. I’ve got a lot of cars and recreational stuff I’d love to store in there for security, tidiness, that kind of thing,” Mr Quigley said.

“I need the height because I’m restoring an old truck. I’d like to put a mezzanine for storage and a hobby space. Right behind me is a shed that’s bigger than what I’m wanting. Across the road is one that’s just as long, if not longer. I’ve got some machinery, a boat, cars, stuff like that. We haven’t been able to move forward on the size I’ve wanted.”

Mayor Cr Tom Sullivan asked Councillors if they wished to move the recommendation to refuse Mr Quigley’s application, by Cr Ally Munari instead moved to defer it, to facilitate “more discussions with Planning, instead of just losing it”.

The motion to defer was seconded by Cr Tonia Dudzik, and Crs Moira Berry and Paul Tatchell voted in favour, meaning the motion will be deferred to a future Development Assessment Committee meeting.