The continued fragmentation of farm land for country lifestyle blocks has led to calls for Macedon Ranges council to be consistent in its planning.
Cr John Connor told last week’s meeting that an influx of planning applications from people wanting to build on smaller blocks, some as small as 3.4 hectares, clearly showed the council’s rural living strategy needs reviewing.
Cr Connor went in to bat for three applicants – and appealed for fellow councillors to grant them permits – after council officers had recommended knocking them back.
“I just think that we really need to think about the situation that these applicants are in,” Cr Connor said.
The three had requested permits to build in farm zones near Kyneton and Malmsbury.
West ward councillor Jennifer Anderson was a sole voice of protest and sounded the alarm about council’s contradictory approach in farming zones.
She said many people had been sold farm land expecting to be able to build, only to be told that farm zones require a minimum 40-hectare block to justify a dwelling.
While she felt for the applicants she said: “It is not good governance to go against your strategy.”
“I agree that we need to show compassion with applications and it is very sad that [one applicant] had been sold land with a misunderstanding of the zoning rules,” Cr Anderson said.
“But we have to look at every decision on a strategic basis, not on an individual basis.”
Councillors overturned the officers’ recommendations, and instead voted to grant the three permits.
