Councillors Matthew Hannan, John Stringer, Deputy Mayor Renee Paine, Katie Ngatokoa, Mayor Julia Cornwell McKean, Renee Brooker and Catherine Healy voted unanimously to reject the development application for 74 Quicks Rd, Barooga.
The Berrigan Shire Council has unanimously voted to reject a planning application for the development of a 383-dwelling housing estate in Barooga.
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Community submissions on the proposed development opened in October this year.
A total of 27 submissions from the community were received by the council, with residents raising concern around traffic, the proposed development’s impact on wildlife, along with flooding and bushfire risk.
Berrigan Shire Council Mayor Julia Cornwell McKean said it was a reasonably straightforward decision for the council to make during its meeting with development officers.
“It [the application] was assessed by a council officer as being non-compliant with a range of things, and the officer stated why they believed that to be the case,” she said.
Berrigan Shire Council Mayor Julia Cornwell McKean said the council is required to consider the regulations and policies relating to each development application.
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Gabriel Garcia
“For any development application that gets submitted, council is required to consider the rules, and see if it complies.
“If it complies, it gets accepted. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t.
“The nature of this development did not align with the way the rest of that area is laid out.
“Quicks Rd are large lots - they are large lots looking over the river and these are not large lots [in the application] - they’re small lots. So it really is not aligned to the neighbourhood in that way.
“That’s not to say there aren’t places where it could be aligned, but it was not in this case.
“It’s just in the wrong place.”
According to the council agenda, the development application for the site at 74 Quicks Rd was recommended for refusal based on the reasons summarised below.
The application did not comply with section 4.15(1)(c)(e) of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 regarding the site’s suitability.
The application did not meet several principles of the State Environment Planning Policy (Housing) 2021.
The proposed development did not meet the aims of the Berrigan Local Environment Plan 2013 as its provision of a high density development did not ‘compliment the unique character on the periphery of Barooga and will place strain on local infrastructure and services’.
Certain dwelling in the project were to be constructed on site, which would not comply with section 41 of the Local Government (Manufactured Home Estates, Caravan Parks, Camping Grounds and Moveable Dwellings) Regulation 2021.
The application for the estate was lodged on September 29 this year by Land Dynamics Pty Ltd, on behalf of owner Frank Bisogni Pty Ltd.
The development would have consisted of a library, café and dining area, alongside a recreation area and a bowling green.
An aerial sketch of the proposed development site at 74 Quicks Rd, Barooga.
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Contributed
Cr McKean said she had not yet heard word from the developer, but emphasised that developments remain on the table for the river town.
“I said that we like development, and we do,” she said.
“There’s a real scope for great developments here, without overcrowding.
“I think perhaps the developers could think more about finding a good site, and we’d welcome them.”
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