By Corey Everitt
The granting of new development involving 11 new dwellings in Bunyip has been postponed by Cardinia Shire Council after last-minute concerns around traffic impacts were raised.
The council came together for the first time this year with a Town Planning Meeting on Monday 5 February.
On the agenda was the consideration to grant a permit to a development on a Mary Street lot approximately 4000 square metres in area.
The proposal is to build 11 single storey dwellings, the site is currently vacant with no formal vehicle access.
The council offices moved to approve the application for a planning permit subject to several conditions relating to matters from landscaping, parking to amenities.
Deputy Mayor and Bunyip Ward Councillor Graeme Moore moved an alternate motion to defer deliberation of the application to the next Town Planning Meeting, citing concerns of the traffic impacts to Mary Street and the surrounding township.
“The application as far as I’m concerned hasn’t got much of a problem, it’s just that the traffic impacts on Mary Street,” he said.
“I don’t like going against council staff on these items, I think the traffic engineers may have got it a little bit wrong and I just want that checked through a traffic assessment on this application before it’s too late because I believe safety in our community is paramount.”
Cr Moore made note that Mary Street a narrow street for a two-way road and the already established level of traffic with the intersection with High Street and the Bunyip town centre.
The alternative motion asked for a traffic impact assessment to be completed by the applicant and assessed by council before the next Town Planning Meeting in March.
The motion was seconded by Central Ward Councillor Colin Ross.
“We need to make sure we do everything we can to make sure it’s going to work properly,” he said.
“It is better to do it now before it’s all built, approved and moved on, so I concur.”
The alternate motion was carried by the council and the application will be assessed in the 4 March Town Planning Meeting.
