By Oliver Lees
Macedon Ranges council has knocked back two proposed commercial developments near a gateway to the Kyneton township.
The two separate proposals for land at the intersection of Edgecombe Road and Pipers Creek Road detailed plans for a Bunnings Warehouse and a service station with an attached McDonald’s restaurant.
Both of these developments drew strong community interest, with a combined total of 618 letters of objections and 35 letters of support during the consultation process.
At a meeting held in August, residents voiced their concerns, with repeated mention of the development’s impact on the natural environment and increased traffic congestion.
Speaking at a council meeting last week, Macedon Ranges mayor Jennifer Anderson said the developers for both applications had not met the standards necessary for approval.
“This is the Macedon Ranges, we are a very special place and have a very sensitive environment,” Cr Anderson said.
“We are now declared an area of distinction and landscape, and we have a standard of planning policy and we must look at when we look at any application. It is mandated upon every authority to do so, and the officers have assessed this application against that and feel that it doesn’t meet all those criteria.”
Councillor Janet Pearce said she was not opposed to having a commercial development at the site, but couldn’t accept the conditions of these two submissions.
“This is a commercial zone and we are very interested in commercial businesses coming to this area,” Cr Pearce said.
“[But] I feel that there are too many points where, if more discussion could have occurred, then perhaps we could have come to an agreement.”
As the only councillor speaking against the officer’s recommendation to reject the proposals, Cr Geoff Neil said despite traffic management being a “big concern” he supported the developments.
At the submitters meeting in August, a spokesperson for site applicant said the commercial enterprises would bring 160 jobs across the McDonald’s and service station, with a further 40 employment opportunities at Bunnings.
The matter is subject to an appeal to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT).
