Posted 23/9/11

The Villawood / Davies Hill Amendment

The Community Email

Hi all

Firstly, as always please forward this email to all that you believe would have an interest in the growth, development, assets and amenities of Woodend.

For those of you that are not aware a Macedon Ranges Settlement Strategy, that will be a formal and statutory policy reference for any proposed planning amendments, was finally adopted on July 27^th with an outcome that we see as being very positive for the Woodend township & community.  In summary:

• Woodend should follow a limited growth path
• Supply estimates indicate capacity to accommodate a projected 2036 population on existing residentially zoned land that is not subject to constraints identified in the Planning Scheme
• No further Greenfield land is required to be rezoned for residential purposes out to 2036
• A structured planning exercise (Township Plan, or Overlay Development Plan) will be undertaken to direct the type and density of future infill development in Woodend such that it is consistent with preserving the town character

 You may be aware that an application to amend the Planning Scheme by Villawood Properties to allow their ‘Davies Hill’ development proposal will be presented to council next Wednesday.

You may have also noted that Braemar College have publicly come out in support of same, clearly for no end other than to extract a favourable ‘deal’ from Villawood Properties. Let’s not go into this too much further other than to suggest that it might be high time that the Braemar Board of Governor’s really question their community role and perhaps even look to more commercially savvy means for meeting their vision and growth plans.

Our view is that there should now be a faith that (a) council have heard and recognised the voice of our community and (b) council can and should make a stand on planning proposals with a new confidence provided by the Settlement Strategy.

To quote our Mayor from the Macedon Ranges Leader, September 20, 2011: “The council is obligated to consider Davies Hill on its merits” Cr. McLaughlin said. He followed on by stating that the Settlement Strategy was the shires over-arching planning guide.

The Villawood Rezoning Proposal has no community support, no policy support, no strategic basis. Further, a decision on the Villawood proposal should not be biased nor influenced by personal sentiment towards Braemar, and/or other.

As such, we should not need to continue to ask all to debate this issue, write to councillors, etc at this stage. Feel free if you have the urge however we have sent the attached [letter] to all councillors, as a representative note, which hopefully presents that it is now time for our council to show their political will and respect for planning controls.

Councillors should have no alternative other than to reject the Villawood proposal. It is clearly outside of the bounds of the Settlement Strategy and the planning scheme whichever way it is dressed up, cajoled or linked to other sentimental offerings, such as a new [second] Braemar campus.

So a call … please come along to the Council meeting in Gisborne next Wednesday to, hopefully, celebrate the voice of our community, the value of a new Planning guide and some restoration of faith in our council when Villawood Properties proposal is voted down.

Wednesday, September 28^th – 7:00pm (nothing happens before 7:30pm in case you want to squeeze in dinner)

Gisborne Administration Centre, 40 Robertson Rd. (opposite the Police Station)

As noted in our letter to councillors, we have written to them as “representatives of many in the Woodend community”. We have not passed on details of those on our email list but may do so if appropriate. If you are receiving this email directly and do not feel that our views are representative of yours, please let us know and we will note accordingly. If you have been passed this email and feel that our views are representative of yours, please email us directly so as we can add your details to our list. The more support we have the more we can achieve.

Cheers

Steven & Denise

Note:  For privacy reasons, MRRA has deleted the private email address supplied in the last paragraph (above) from its website publication.  You may contact Steven and Denise directly if you already know them, or forward an email to MRRA (mrra.sec999@gmail) and we will forward it on to them.

The Community Letter

20^th September, 2011

(All Councillors)

Macedon Ranges Shire Council

P.O. Box 151

Kyneton VIC 3444

Dear Councillor

Re: Villawood application to amend the Planning Scheme to allow their ‘Davies Hill’ proposal

We are writing to you, in this open letter, as representatives of many in the Woodend community that have, alongside ourselves, expressed their opinions in regards to population and township growth in Woodend, the Settlement Strategy and the Villawood Properties proposal for their ‘Davies Hill’ residential development.

You have a very important decision to make on September 28^th when you decide on whether or not to exhibit the Villawood Properties proposed “Davies Hill” planning scheme amendment.  Not just in terms of the proposal specifically, but more broadly on council’s role and function in the Planning processes.

There might be an expectation of further [community] debate, argument and responses to councillors on the merits of the Villawood proposal. This should not be necessary!  

• The community has clearly demonstrated that it overwhelmingly objects to the rezoning of Davies Hill for residential development.
• There is no statutory or policy support for this proposal under the current Planning Scheme
• The Macedon Ranges Settlement Strategy recently supported and adopted by council on July 27^th does not provide any basis for Planning Scheme amendments that would support the proposal in any way.
• The Macedon Ranges Settlement Strategy clearly states that no further Greenfield land is required to be rezoned for residential purposes.
• The Macedon Ranges Settlement Strategy determines that there is adequate residential land supply within current town boundaries to meet demand out to 2036. The Villawood proposal would result in significant over supply.
• The State Planning Minister has recently publicly stated that Statement of Planning Policy Number 8 will be re-introduced at State level later this year, and any expansion of residential zoning into land currently zoned for farming and conservation would clearly be contradictory to this important State policy.

You have a very clear basis for making a decision without needing to abdicate your responsibilities to a Planning Panel to tell you what you should already know.

The Villawood Rezoning Proposal has no community support, no policy support, no strategic basis.

You may also be aware that the Headmaster of Braemar College has recently written to parents of current and waitlisted students asking that they write to yourselves to show their support for the College and its vision and growth.

We support the College and its vision and growth but not where it is conditional upon, and an integral part of, the rezoning / development of any land that would contravene planning policy and be in opposition to the aspirations of the Woodend community. Responses supporting Braemar itself do not change any of the facts that Villawood’s rezoning proposal has no statutory or policy support; also, this decision should neither be biased nor influenced by personal sentiment towards Braemar. Furthermore, exhibiting the Villawood proposal would unnecessarily draw the community into a negative ‘internal’ debate on the Braemar factor….  We expect our council’s actions to focus on uniting the community, not dividing it.

The Settlement Strategy also references to an urgent need for the development of a Woodend Town Plan, or ODP, which was strongly supported by yourselves and the community.

Let’s get on and do it, let’s work together positively!

Exhibiting the Villawood proposal will unnecessarily result in tying up the resources and energy of the MRSC planning department which could be much better applied to the development of the ODP. Again, this would return the Woodend community to a negative position in having to engage in further debate rather than positively contributing to same which in turn will prolong, and even further entrench, negative sentiment towards council and the planning process.

Conversely, we would welcome the opportunity to constructively work alongside council in contributing towards a constructive and mutually beneficial outcome from this important planning instrument.

We are looking to you to restore some faith that councillors can and will make decisions supported by planning policies, support the aspirations of the Woodend community and allow energy, resources and time to be focussed more positively on matters such as the Woodend Town Plan / ODP.

We trust that you have the political will to do so.

Yours sincerely and respectfully