Minutes of the Ordinary Meeting of the Greater Geelong City Council held at the Council Conference and Reception Centre in City Hall, 57 Little Malop Street, Geelong on 26 March 2019, commencing at 7:00pm.
Dennis O'Bryan
James Collins
Jaqueline Edge
Robert Kanngieser
Councillors:
B Harwood (Mayor)
A Aitken
S Asher
K Grzybek
E Kontelj
S Mansfield
J Mason
P Murnane
P Murrihy
R Nelson
T Sullivan
M Cutter (Chief Executive Officer)
B Luxford (Director Investment and Attraction)
G Smith (Director Planning and Development)
G Wilson-Browne (Director City Services)
M Dugina (Director Finance & Strategy)
R Stevens (Acting Director Community Life)
R Leonard (Executive Manager Governance and Legal Services)
The Mayor declared the meeting open at 7:00pm.
Council acknowledged Wadawurrung Traditional Owners of this land and all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People who are part of the Greater Geelong community today.
Nil.
Councillor Grzybek recognized the passing of Mr Fred Grove, a 46 year veteran of Victoria Police who also spent more than 50 years as a CFA volunteer. A motion to name the brigade-owned tanker ‘Captain Fred Grove’, was put to members at a meeting this month which was unanimously passed. He will be sadly missed by the wider Lara community.
Councillor Sullivan moved, Councillor Asher seconded -
That the Minutes of the Ordinary Meeting held on 26 February 2019 be confirmed.
Carried.
Nil.
Denis O’Bryan asked the following:
Bellarine Peninsula Localised Planning Statement said in September 2015 “St Leonards is a small coastal settlement with both holiday homes and permanent residents and a focus on fishing and camping. It is not a designated growth location”. Nevertheless, during the past decade or so Council has almost doubled residential development on St Leonards.
When is Council going to realise its imposed growth without method of funding for matching infrastructure is irresponsible?
When will Council catch up this sudden Council-caused growth with infrastructure?
We have little parking in the shopping centre, inadequate footpaths, primitive kerbing, no kindergarten, no maternal and welfare centre, no land for the growth of the primary school, to name a few?
The Mayor responded all townships must take a share of the growing population that is coming to our region and this is placing strains on infrastructure.
St Leonards is not a designated growth area and the development underway is within the settlement boundary for the township.
The estates that are being developed are providing substantial funding for an early learning and community centre that will provide services to all existing and future residents of St Leonards.
Council recently adopted the Greater Geelong Settlement Strategy.
Our planning policy for St Leonards is that there will be no further outward growth and all new development must be within the settlement boundary.
The state government have committed to declaring the Bellarine Peninsula as a distinctive landscape.
This planning legislation will set permanent settlement boundaries for the townships on the Bellarine.
On 11 July the Council press release said “Mira Ira Pty Ltd, developers of the Seabreeze Estate, will part with the land in return for a vacant Council-owned reserve at 690 Batman Road”.
However, on 10 July 2018 the minutes record a briefing note to Councillors which said a planning permit action requirement was “to vest the land to be sold by Council in Council’s name”.
Site construction has now started on the “vacant Council-owned” reserve.
What date was the reserve vested in Council’s name and by which government department?
What was the date of sale of Council’s land?
What is current ownership of the reserve and what is current ownership of the developer’s land to be exchanged.
When was the developer payment of $110,000 received?
Why were Councillors not briefed that the “vacant Council-owned” reserve was already held in title by Mira Ira since 1988?
The Mayor advised the land which Council agreed to swap with Mira Ira Nominees Pty Ltd vested in Council in 1988, and the land swap will be completed in accordance with the resolution of Council on 11 July 2018.
The Mayor took the remainder of the questions on notice.
James Collins asked:
The Local Government Bill 2018 was introduced into the Victorian Parliament on 23 May 2018. Subsequently all parliamentary proceedings came to an end in the lead up to State election, thus the Local Government Act 1989 remains in operation.
Does Council have any information on whether the new bill will be resubmitted in current form or will be subject to review before re-submission?
The Mayor indicated at this point in time Council doesn’t know if the bill will be re-submitted as it is or changed.
Questions submitted prior to the meeting were received from Rusty, Steve Agar and Lex Chalmers, all of which will receive a written response.
Jacqueline Edge asked the following questions in relation to Elizabeth Street safety and amenity:
Could Council please confirm whether contact or application has been made with a potential funding body to address the safety and amenity of Elizabeth Street?
What allocation of the budget will be allocated to address the safety and amenity of Elizabeth Street and surrounds?
When is Elizabeth Street and surrounds scheduled for tree planting in accordance with the Urban Forest Strategy?
Guy Wilson-Browne responded Council is responding to your questions in writing.
In so far as traffic is concerned Council is satisfied that further changes are not warranted at present.
A road safety audit is not planned in the immediate future.
Council will look at the possibility of further tree planting in the Elizabeth Street vicinity.
Cr Kontelj asked Ms Edge to forward her concerns on to the Brownbill Councillors who will be happy to meet and discuss further.
Robert Kanngieser asked if part of the existing Golf Club in the St Leonards area is being sold off for future housing development?
Gareth Smith took the question on notice.
Nil.
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