Despite advice to the contrary from the city’s planning department, Bathurst Regional Council has voted to rezone property at Kelso from primary production use to general residential land.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The rezoning will ultimately result in more houses on the Sydney Road, the city’s gateway.
The 31-hectare lot is made up of 6.6ha of class 2 land and about 25 hectares of class 3 agricultural land.
Planning staff said the Department of Primary Industries had previously raised concerns about the incremental loss of class 2 and 3 agricultural land for urban purposes.
The applicant said rezoning of the land is warranted due to a shortage of good quality residential land ready for residential construction.
However, council’s planning department said it considered the amount of land zoned for residential purposes at this time is sufficient to cater for the growth of the city in the long term (10 to 20 years).
Councillors, at their most recent meeting, were informed the Bathurst LEP 2014 rezoned a large area of land, east of the existing Kelso, to cater for the continued growth of the city. It is anticipated that development will result in the creation of 4500 lots. In addition, the LEP provides for the expansion of Eglinton (about 600 lots) and further development at Windradyne.
“No additional lands are therefore considered necessary,” the report said.
Cr Greg Westman agreed.
“Why do we plan? We have many plans and these plans are the backbone of everything we do going forward,” he said.
“We plan, we process, we execute. We have to look at the long-term future of the region. I can’t stress that enough.
“If we have lost sight of that, we have lost the plot. We cannot have development at any cost.
“I would urge council to consider carefully before changing it to the detriment of the city.”
Cr Monica Morse said she agreed with Cr Westman.
“Surely when a developer comes to council, council has a development plan and it is important we stick to that plan,” she said.
“One thing that came through in consultation is that people wanted to be able to see hills. We do an urban strategy because we ask the community what they want. I don’t think when someone comes along asking for something we should just change it.
“We should not allow that area to be rezoned.”
Cr Jess Jennings, however, said there was already a large amount of light industry in that area and he would rather see residential properties than more of that.
“I think there is a strategic advantage in securing a residential area. I want housing to break up the industrial zones.”
However, the last word went to Cr Ian North, who proposed that council agree to the rezoning.
“Why do we plan? We plan for the future. We do it so the city can grow,” he said.
Cr North said council’s plans are living, breathing documents.
“To sit on them would be bad leadership. We develop, we change,” he said.
“We’re elected to make decisions for the city to go forward.
“We are a progressive council. We are an entrepreneurial council."
