By MARA PATTISON-SOWDEN
A PLANNING permit to re-subdivide five lots in Yarra Junction down to three could be revoked if one councillor gets his way at tonight’s (Tuesday 14 May) meeting.
So convinced is Yarra Ranges’ councillor Noel Cliff that the council made the wrong decision to allow the planning application at the Tuesday 23 April meeting that he will move a motion to rescind the permit and refuse the application.
The application had been “called out” by O’Shannassy Ward councillor and mayor Jim Child at the last council meeting, and was recommended to be refused by council officers who strongly suggested it was directly contrary to rural land use policy in the planning scheme. By granting the application, the planning officers said, it would fly in the face of many VCAT decisions made on similar issues in the past.
Cr Cliff wrote to the CEO stating that the council had “made a mistake … as the ramifications of that decision were not properly thought through”, and that the previous decision is not consistent with state and local planning policies that relate to rural land.
The previous vote was divided, with councillors McCarthy, McAllister, Witlox and Child voting for the motion and councillors Cox, Cliff, Avery and Dunn voting against it. Councillor Callinan was not present for this meeting.
The new motion will be called up at council tonight under item 9.1 in the agenda.
