Zoe Moffatt
Macedon Ranges council has received community objections to a proposed development on Harpers Lane at Kyneton South.
Located on the eastern side of Harpers Lane, the development proposes to subdivide the land into 65 lots, and remove native vegetation and easements.
This latest plan follows the rejection of a previous development proposal for Harpers Lane which sought to subdivide the land into 87 lots.
Council received 15 objections to the proposal at its April 12 meeting. Concerns raised included increased traffic, pedestrian safety, loss of vegetation, street lighting, lot sizes, insufficient interface, flooding and drainage, and lack of consultation by the developer.
One resident said the town is not opposed to development, but it should reflect the character and vision of the surrounding area.
“[This plan] is the reincarnation of the previously rejected plan,” the resident said.
“Development is inevitable, there is no opposition to development, the objection… is that the development should respond appropriately to the character context and strategic vision of the surrounding area.”
Another resident voiced concern about the stormwater management plans and the impacts of climate change in the future.
“When I read the stormwater management plan I was struck by the words… and I quote, ‘unless otherwise stated, the information provided in this report does not take into consideration the very nature of climate change and its consequences on our current engineering practices,” the resident said.
“Now this shocked me… how is it possible… for a stormwater plan to be written that does not address climate change.”
An applicant representative also spoke at the meeting and said the applicant made a number of changes in response to VCAT recommendations, including number of lots, lot size and a vegetation buffer.
“Even though VCAT said we didn’t have to, we’ve offered to widen and seal Harpers Lane to the north of our site, including the provision of footpaths,” the representative said.
“We’ve [also] offered a voluntary developer contribution for the intersection at Harpers Lane on a without prejudice basis subject to a number of conditions.”
The development plan will be up for consideration at the next planning delegated committee meeting on May 10.
