A PERSONAL plea to councillors has paid off for a Kelso resident who was objecting to his neighbour’s plans to build a large new garage on his Lister Crescent property.
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A report to councillors by acting environmental, planning and building services director Richard Denyer had recommended approving a slight variation to planning rules to allow the applicant to erect an 11 metre by seven metre steel garage on a 2133 square metre corner block.
Plans lodged with council showed the garage would be erected 1.4 metres from a common boundary with 44 McBrien, the home of Peter and Kerry Chappell.
The couple had previously written to Bathurst Regional Council expressing their concerns about the development, particularly its impact on their views over the Bathurst skyline and distant mountains.
Mr Chappell used public question time at last week’s monthly meeting to further push their case.
“When my wife and I bought this block eight or nine years ago one of the reasons for buying it was the exceptional views right into the heart of the city,” Mr Chappell said.
“If this garage goes ahead it would take away a good percentage of our views.”
Mr Chappell said there was already a nine metre by 14 metre garage on the block at 25 Lister Crescent, though a separate development has since been lodged with council to convert that garage into a habitable premises.
Councillor Bobby Bourke initially moved that a decision on the garage be deferred so councillors could attend a working party to learn more about the proposal, but that suggestion was panned by Cr Greg Westman.
“I don’t really want to send this back to a working party – if we want to ask questions and debate this proposal then we should put it on the table now and do our part as councillors,” he said.
Cr Bourke then changed tack, saying he was happy to make a decision on the garage immediately but he would be voting against it going ahead.
“As the neighbour [Mr Chappell] has stated, there is already a garage there,” he said.
“When people buy into an area they are not expecting another garage to go ahead on the block next door.”
Cr Warren Aubin also spoke against the garage, saying he had also been upset to see a large shed erected on a neighbour's property at one of his previous addresses.
Councillors voted to reject the application.