Eurobodalla Shire councillors with former general manager Warwick Winn. Photos: ESC.
Eurobodalla Shire Council resolved to continue work on its Batemans Bay Masterplan (BBMP) after a probity report found several deficiencies in the process and assumptions.
Before council debated the probity report’s findings at a recent extraordinary meeting, members of the public addressed councillors about the report in a public access meeting.
Frank Ross, of the Southcoast Health and Sustainability Alliance (SHASA), said given all the issues raised about the BBMP, it might be more prudent to selectively address priority issues for the community such as housing and related environmental policy.
Dr Brett Stevenson, co-convenor of A Better Eurobodalla, said councillors should cease work on the BBMP to undertake a strategic review of planning priorities, information and evidence across the shire, with a particular focus on housing issues.
Local architect Stephanie Chiu said the planning process had not followed the normal sequence that was expected in NSW planning. She said the deficiencies identified by the probity report meant the draft BBMP could not presently be relied upon as the basis for strategic planning or statutory planning amendments.
The extraordinary meeting debated whether or not work on the BBMP should continue, with councillors Anthony Mayne and Sharon Winslade agreeing with Ms Chiu and Dr Stevenson that it was too flawed to be used as a basis for further work.
The motion before council was that council endorse the probity report and that future work on the BBMP be guided by the report’s findings and recommendations.
Tourism gateway and landmark sites in the BBMP.
Councillor Phil Constable proposed a more detailed motion with the intent that work continued on the BBMP. He proposed that a workshop, open to the public, be held to demonstrate to councillors how all the issues the probity report raised would be addressed, plus other things such as reducing the BBMP’s time horizon to 25-30 years from 75 years.
The meeting was in “committee as a whole” mode to facilitate debate.
Cr Constable said his motion provided logical steps to embrace the probity report’s recommendations while still working to provide the best outcomes in the best timeframe. He said people were unable to sell properties in Batemans Bay because they could not get valuations given the uncertainty around the BBMP.
“I think this is the best way forward,” he said. “The probity report isn’t recommending abandoning the BBMP.”
In response to questions by councillors, council’s planning and environment director Gary Bruce said the masterplan examined how to move people into town centres where the infrastructure and services are and that masterplans consider broader issues such as transport and bring them together. He spoke about the need for more diverse housing such as townhouses and apartments.
Cr Mayne asked why council was focused on the masterplan when it should be focused on housing.
He said there was a shortage of affordable housing for key workers. He said the fact council received 250 objections to the BBMP was significant.
Five key gateway and landmark sites in the BBMP.
Councillor Mick Johnson said councillors knew how the community felt about the BBMP and there was a lot wrong but it constituted a basis.
“I think we throw away all the parts that don’t work and work with what does,” he said. “The motion coalesces all that needs to be done and the work that has been done.”
Councillor Amber Schutz favoured moving forward with the BBMP even though it was not perfect. “We do need to move forward and we have good feedback from the community,” she said. She said council had a responsibility to provide what the community needed such as affordable rental accommodation for young families wanting to move to the shire.
Councillor Colleen Turner was concerned there were no parameters around the boundaries of the area the BBMP covered or building heights. She said they kept shifting.
Councillor Rob Pollock OAM said issues such as geotechnical and floodplain risk reports should be considered at the development application level, not in the BBMP. It was up to proponents to devise engineering solutions.
Mayor Mat Hatcher said no decision had been made on the BBMP. “Let’s fix the problems and make sure everything is public,” he said. “The community expects us to get on with it.”
He, and councillors Constable, Johnson, Pollock and Schutz supported the motion. Councillors Mayne, Turner and Winslade were against.
In the public access meeting the Congo Road issue was again raised. Mayor Hatcher said he had not seen photos that suggested the area had been surveyed and was being prepared for a road. He said he might be able to update residents on discussions with the landowner as early as 16 March.
