Archive:  Planning In Glenelg Shire 

(Last Updated 10/6/05)

Planning In Glenelg Shire Under Federal And State Investigation (12/5/05 - P)  But is it an isolated problem? 

Planning approvals in Glenelg Shire have been frozen and are under investigation by the Federal Police and the Victorian Auditor General (article in The Age newspaper “Quick on the planning draw in Wilder’s west”, by Royce Millar and Martin Boulton, 9/5/05).  According to the Age, Mr. Wilder is alleged to have approved major subdivision proposals within hours of applications being lodged, and in 2003 had an average application turn-around time of just 1.7 days.  Mayor Karen Stephens  (in a press release issued 8/5/05) has said that the legality of up to 300 applications approved since 1999 is being assessed.  An urgent review of planning in the Shire is underway.  Ms. Stephens stated that the situation arose when permits were issued where there is an extra requirement beyond the normal zone controls  and that there may have been a failure to observe strict compliance with the Planning Scheme.

MRRA Says:

Failure to consider more than the zone controls in decision-making is not confined to Glenelg Shire.   Over time, many residents in Macedon Ranges have confronted the same problem, in a number of arenas.  It says much about the complexity of the Victorian planning system, about the lack of accountability in the system, and about the incapacity of some decision-makers to understand and adhere to the principles of strategic as well as statutory planning: the message that zones aren’t the only controls in the VPP system still hasn’t got fully across.