UPDATE: A recently released agenda for Wednesday night’s council meeting list Cr Cox’s grounds for rescission.
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The motion has been raised on the grounds that the density of the development and the loss of all vegetation from the site is not consistent with the intent of the Kangaroo Flat South Regional Centre Structure Plan.
It also says the proposal fails to protect significant vegetation on the site which has heritage significance.
Cr Cox’s reasons for rescission include:
- The Biodiversity and Ecological Assessment Reports were not circulated to Councillors for consideration and were not listed as attachments.
- These reports appear inadequate as they are at odds with the visual range of species and habitat of the place.
- The officer's report did not consider the option to protect significant vegetation on the site which has heritage significance.
- The precedence that is set with this decision means that it is unlikely that all future decisions on the retention of native vegetation and wetlands in Greater Bendigo's Urban Growth Boundary will not be seriously considered.
- That time is required to gain further expert advice on the value of the natural vegetation and the range of wildlife that exists on this site.
The planning officer’s comment included in the agenda says the biodiversity and ecological assessments for the application were prepared by a highly qualified and local consultant.
It also says the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning had no objection, and found the reports to be satisfactory and that the land is zoned for urban development and the relevant policies have been considered.
EARLIER: A rescission motion will go in front of Bendigo council at Wednesday’s meeting.
The motion is against an application to bulldoze a 2.7 hectare wetlands area in High Street, Kangaroo Flat.
Whipstick ward councillor Peter Cox will argue for the wetlands and has spent the past two weeks gathering evidence to support the motion.
Cr Cox was unhappy with the ecological assessment at the last council meeting on June 15 and moved the rescission motion.
The development application was passed at the last council meeting.
The vote was split with Cr Cox, Elise Chapman, Helen Leach and James Williams voting against the development.
Mark Weragoda, Lisa Ruffell, Rod Fyffe and Rod Campbell voted for the motion. Mayor Fyffe’s vote in favour proved decisive.
Cr Cox said he spoke to a number of people about the issue.
“It's a treasure in the middle of Kangaroo Flat. I believe the ecological assessment that has been done is not up to par,” he said.
“A motion for the development of 34 lots on this particular piece of land have been passed on the casting vote of the mayor.”
Kangaroo Flat residents are also prepared to fight against the potential housing development.
Resident Grieg Pairman said wildlife was being squeezed out and that previous owners of the block, Joan and Felicity Kingsley, had wanted to create a nature reserve but mother and daughter both died suddenly within months of one another.
“I know Felicity was very concerned about where the animals were going to go, where the birds were going to nest, where the long neck turtles in the wetlands were going to go,” he said.
“In the lead up to her death Felicity was in the process of leaving these six acres as a legacy – she was getting very upset about the encroaching mass density housing.”
While gathering his evidence, Cr Cox said he had also become concerned about areas of the Bendigo Creek.
“One of things I have been learning through the process is the dire straights the Bendigo Creek is in,” he said.
“All the housing in this area and down to the creek is that it has eroded away quite significantly.
“It is a bigger issue than one parcel of land. I wasn’t aware we were building so close to the creek and with the extent of the erosion, it is something we will have to address.”