General News
12 September, 2022
Council approves Maryborough subdivision
The Central Goldfields Shire Council has approved a planning application for a two-lot subdivision in Clarendon Street, Maryborough, with 21 conditions attached. At the recent ordinary council meeting, councillors moved unanimously to approve the...
The Central Goldfields Shire Council has approved a planning application for a two-lot subdivision in Clarendon Street, Maryborough, with 21 conditions attached.
At the recent ordinary council meeting, councillors moved unanimously to approve the application, despite its one objection, with those at the meeting noting infill developments in the shire are likely to become more common in coming years.
According to the report tabled to council, planning permit application 002/22 was lodged in January this year proposing a two-lot subdivision at 1 Clarendon Street.
The report states the Clarendon Street site is currently 812 metres squared, with the proposed subdivision to create one 344 m2 lot, which is currently vacant, and one 468 m2 lot.
The second and larger lot contains an existing dwelling and out-buildings that are to be retained, whereas the smaller lot has some existing buildings and structures that will need to be removed or demolished for the lot to be developed for a dwelling, the report states.
Notice of the application was given to seven adjoining and surrounding owners and occupiers of land with the application receiving one objection, which raised issues around privacy and overlooking impacts, neighbours not wanting the project to proceed and property devaluation impacts, among others.
Speaking during the meeting, councillor Wayne Sproull said the points raised by the objector were noted, and the conditions placed on the approved permit would alleviate these concerns.
“This planning application was assessed by council officers and deemed to be a fit in our planning framework,” he said.
“There was one objection to the application and we acknowledge the objectors and reassure them their concerns were carefully considered in the process.
“In this case however, I believe all the relevant conditions have been met in the application and see no reason to refuse the request.
“This subdivision will make good use of otherwise vacant land and will help fill our residential land requirements.”
In seconding the motion to approve the application, councillor Grace La Vella noted the shortage of local housing.
“We have a shortage of houses and housing stock in Maryborough and I think to encourage developers and owners to subdivide their land and further increase our housing stock is such a good thing,” she said.
“Everything in this application applies with the state and local government planning regulations and I am definitely for it.”
The second planning permit application of its type at the recent council meeting, councillor Geoff Lovett said he believed applications for infill developments would become increasingly more common.
“I think it’s something that we’re going to be increasingly cognisant of,” he said.
“One of the areas of this application is a vacant block and the reality is we live in a very conservative community where we have a lot of long-term house owners who have been in their homes for 50 years or more.
“We’re a community who don’t necessarily like change — but with this motion, we’re actually voting for something of a change.
“In the future, if we find too many of these infill developments happening in clusters, council might very well vote accordingly at that time.
“This is something I think we as a community are going to have to get used to because we will see more of it and the reality is that although progress has to be controlled, we can’t stop progress.”