Common sense appears to have prevailed in allowing a development at Wombat to proceed.
At their meeting on Wednesday June 27, Hilltops Council resolved to approve a development application for two new lot developments at Wombat, against the advice of Council staff. As the area is zoned as rural, the minimum lot size development stands at 40 hectare, but the two proposed lots measured 8093m2 each. The applicants applied to Council to have variation approved under Clause 4.6, which would allow the development to proceed if Council consented. The report presented to Councillors notes that the surrounding lots vary in size, from 2.2 ha to 100 ha. It notes that some of these lots are clearly below the 40 ha minimum, but these were either constructed before any planning instrument came into legal force or were lots that had dwelling entitlements consistent with legal standards. Council staff objected to the proposal on the basis of a number of factors. Firstly, the report states that the proposed use would significantly impact upon the preferred use of the land for agriculture. It is also state that the application has not demonstrated that it is in the public interest. Despite these recommendations, Hilltops Council decided unanimously to approve the development applications, with a report with conditions of approval to be brought back to the July Meeting of Council.
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