By Corey Everitt
Cardinia Shire Council sent a strong message to not mess with the plan for Officer after shooting down an application for a large residential subdivision that was on land meant for a future school.
In Monday’s Town Planning Meeting, councillors considered two applications to subdivided land resting between Starling Road and McMullen Road.
The two applications bordered one another making a total of approximately 4.7ha of land and proposed to subdivide it in 83 lots for residential use.
There was one fatal flaw to the application, which was that it rested on land set out for a future public school.
This is identified in the Officer Precinct Structure Plan (PSP), which has been established for more than a decade, and lays down the broad parameters for transforming Officer with more major facilities and amenities as large residential growth continues.
Officer Ward Councillor Tammy Radford moved both motions to reject the two proposals.
“I completely support the officers’ recommendation here, we are in the growth area, there are a lot of residents building and building and we need to be able to provide the services and facilities and infrastructure that the residents moving into this area require,” she said.
Seconders for the motions were Toomuc Ward Councillor Stephanie Davies Beacon Hills Ward Councillor Brett Owen.
“The plan clearly states that there is a primary school proposed at this location, anything against that is obviously against the strategy and against what people’s expectations are for the land,” Cr Owen said.
Cr Radford mentioned that the council did notify the applicant of the conflict with the PSP, but the applicant declined to withdraw the application.
The council has dealt with similar matters before, the council rejected an application for a residential subdivision on the land set out for what is now the new Kurmile Primary School which opened this year.
The matter went to VCAT in 2014 and the tribunal upheld the council’s decision.
Both motions to reject a permit were carried unanimously.
