By Peter Douglas
YARRA Ranges Council will seek intervention to try to resolve a dispute regarding the future of the old Sanitarium factory in Warburton.
In the move, the roles of the licensor, the Upper Yarra River Reserve Committee (UYRRC), and licensee, Edgewater, will come under the spotlight.
The recommendation is for the Minister for the Department of Environment, Land and Planning (DELWP) to review their involvement.
The decision comes after numerous hold-ups in a plan to develop a visitor accommodation centre and connected tourist facilities at the site, which Council views as an important community project.
A Planning Scheme Amendment was first issued on 22 December, 2005, which would have allowed appropriate zoning for the development.
The permit’s initial expiry was on 23 December, 2013, but VCAT extended this permit.
An extension for time request in June last year was recommended to Council for refusal, but was overturned.
At Council’s 27 January meeting, Cr Jim Child noted requirements attached to that overturning had further interrupted progress.
“(As) late as 2014 we gave an extension of time … part of that extension was the condition to abide by the Bushfire (Management) Overlay,” Cr Child said.
“Part of the requirement … is the proposal must have a defendable space in regards to a fire management plan.
“This can be achieved on the site with overlapping on to Crown Land.
“That requires a lease or agreement with DELWP.”
Cr Child said the length of the lease was a major issue for the UYRRC and Edgewater.
“Now, we’ve reached a stalemate situation where we have the recommending authority, the Country Fire Authority, recommending that a 21-year lease period would be appropriate to achieve that defendable space – DELWP is agreeable to that,” Cr Child said.
“But we have the UYRRC who are opposed to that and are wishing to have a six-year licence agreement.”
Cr Child said this had been a source of frustration.
“We’ve reached a stage that I’ve had to take this move, that we should have an intervention by the Minister to achieve this result for this development to go through,” Cr Child said.
Cr Child’s motion was seconded by Cr Noel Cliff, who said it had been an issue for too long.
“It’s 10 years down the track and we’re at this point, this is silly stuff,” Cr Cliff said.
“We’ve got to go to the Minister and sort it.”
In addition to intervention, Council agreed to advise the Minister of its disappointment in the ongoing delays experienced in trying to secure an appropriate agreement.
