Eurobodalla Shire councillors with former general manager Warwick Winn. Photo: Eurobodalla Shire Council.
There was much debate about the revised housing strategy and submissions about the draft Batemans Bay Master Plan (BBMP) at a recent Eurobodalla Shire Council meeting, with tension in the air when the lack of progress on the new animal shelter was probed.
In a show of hands, Clr Colleen Turner edged out Clr Amber Schutz as deputy mayor for the next 12 months, replacing Clr Anthony Mayne at the end of his 12-month term.
There was general agreement the revised housing strategy was much better than the one presented to council 12 months earlier. Councillors and residents welcomed the creation of a Housing Advisory Group (HAG).
In the public forum, resident Cid Mateo said the HAG should comprise representatives of all key housing and planning stakeholders to finalise and progress all aspects of the housing strategy.
Co-convenor of A Better Eurobodalla Dr Brett Stevenson said it must be properly resourced with clear terms of reference.
The introduction of a settlement strategy was also welcomed, although Dr Stevenson said ideally it should have preceded the master plan.
Both residents said the housing strategy was data poor.
Mr Mateo said the housing strategy said Eurobodalla’s population would grow by 8000 by 2041 while council’s website had projected growth of 4000 by 2046.
To address the housing strategy’s remaining shortcomings, Mr Mateo recommended council “urgently” sent it for independent expert review by housing policy specialists and that feedback be incorporated into the strategy by year-end.
Two members of Moruya Chamber of Commerce spoke about the town’s urgent need for housing and short-term rental accommodation given progress on the new Eurobodalla Regional Hospital.
They also noted the strategy did not permit new development on flood-prone land. They argued flood risk mitigation could enable development in the area east of Vulcan Street.
After much debate, councillors agreed to permit new development on Moruya’s flood-prone land in conjunction with risk mitigation measures. They also saw the value of an independent peer review of the housing strategy.
Eurobodalla Shire Council’s Vivian Straw co-wrote the draft Batemans Bay Master Plan. Photo: Eurobodalla Shire Council.
The housing strategy was endorsed and approved by council.
The draft BBMP was more problematic.
Southcoast Health and Sustainability Alliance (SHASA) representative Frank Ross said council’s report on the submissions received on the BBMP was a “dog’s breakfast”.
“Some of it is false and misleading,” he said.
Dr Stevenson said the report maintained the low standard of the draft BBMP.
“The fact that councillors Mayne and Pollock have submitted questions on notice regarding the BBMP for today’s meeting is indicative of major problems with this major project,” he said.
Clr Mayne’s questions regarded the probity report into the BBMP and its process.
Clr Sharon Winslade also had questions.
“I have a real problem with what we have asked for in the probity report and what we said we would do,” she said.
Council’s director of planning and environment, Gary Bruce, took her question on notice.
Artist’s impression of Batemans Bay. Photo: via Eurobodalla Shire Council website.
Clr Pollock had asked several questions about the use of consultants in the BBMP.
The original brief to consultants was to provide three density options. The BBMP only has one.
Clr Pollock learnt that consultants had told staff the brief was too ambitious “but it never came back to council to increase the budget, staff just went on ahead”.
“A lot of those questions are what constituted a lot of the concerns in the submissions,” Clr Pollock said. “If only we had addressed those in the first place.”
Mr Bruce said the draft BBMP was being refined to reflect community feedback, including exploring eight-storey buildings and making the link clear between the BBMP and council’s Climate Action Plan and Coastal Management Plan.
He said if building heights were drastically lowered it could jeopardise the view of Batemans Bay as the shire’s regional city and would have implications elsewhere in the shire.
Mr Bruce expects a draft probity report by month-end.
In the public forum Louise Webb expressed “dismay, disappointment and something approaching bewilderment” on learning no development application had been prepared or funding found for the new animal shelter. Peter Cormick said it was an “inexcusable delay”.
Councillors had passed a resolution for the shelter to go ahead but were told staff were preparing a report for December that proposed the site could be sold and the proceeds used to build the shelter elsewhere.
Clr Mick Johnson asked, “If council makes a resolution, what is the likelihood of it being carried out?”
“For good communication between council and staff can we be told informally as soon as possible and not when the report is due,” Clr Turner said.
