A BID to subdivide Green Wedge land at Kingston Rd, Heatherton for “horse agistment” has failed to get over the line after the landowner withdrew from a tribunal hearing.
The Defenders of the South East Green Wedge had been set to appeal a controversial decision by a narrow majority of Kingston councillors to approve a ten lots subdivision of land at 217-227 Kingston Rd (‘‘Horsing around’ with Green Wedge’, The News 4/3/15).
VCAT set aside council’s approval last Friday (21 August) after applicant Kingston Heights Pty Ltd decided to drop out of the tribunal hearing.
Defenders secretary Barry Ross said the Kingston Heights planning application “principles involved were almost identical to those applying to the Leslie Rd application”.
VCAT overturned a contentious planning application last month to subdivide land at 2 Leslie Rd, Clarinda to house horses (‘VCAT says neigh to horse play’, The News 29/7/15).
“Our group is delighted that the fate of the subdivision applications has finally been settled as it was like a black cloud hanging over the Green Wedge,” Mr Ross said.
“Hopefully, the landowners will now get down to running legitimate green wedge activities such as agriculture and recreation.”
Kingston Heights Pty Ltd principal Paul Smith, owner of the Din San Nursery in Dingley Village, did not return calls from The News before publication deadline.
A council officers’ report supplied to councillors at the March council meeting noted the Heatherton application was inconsistent with state and council planning policy.
Mr Ross believed the attempted subdivision layout looked “suspiciously like a plan for a residential subdivision”.
Crs Ron Brownlees, Tamsin Bearsley, John Ronke and mayor Geoff Gledhill voted to approve the Heatherton subdivision at the March council meeting.
Crs David Eden, Steve Staikos and Rosemary West opposed the application.
Crs Paul Peulich and Tamara Barth were absent from the meeting.
Future plans for the Green Wedge have divided councillors during the current four-year council term.
A push by some councillors to rezone parts of the Green Wedge for rural living fell by the wayside after a council-commissioned report by consultants Meinhardt found existing landfills and required buffer zones made residential development impossible in the short term.
First published in the Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News – 26 August 2015
