Estuary Estate community give Council a mouth-agape lesson in community involvement

Last week's Council meeting saw several members of the Estuary Estate community present to Council their petition of 100 signatures and their reasoning why a development application currently before council for a two lot subdivision and public road should not be allowed. Speaker after speaker presented to the councillors a lesson in history of the area and their reasoning that the allowance of a public road between Oaks Ranch and the Estuary Estate would be the first step toward the demise of their community. Council, having received the concerns needed to deliberate in confidential as the petition was in regards to a current application before them and as such councillors needed to seek advice from staff as to how they might next proceed. The Councillors returned and put forward the MOTION THAT: 1.The petition be received and noted. 2.Council staff consider,in the assessment of the application,the submissions provide to Council by members of the public at its meeting on 27 March2018 along with all previous submissions received.

The addition of the second part of this motion was a victory for the Estuary community as it meant that their now well informed presentations would become part of the consideration for the development having argued that the initial tie frame and scant information regarding the development application gave them little opportunity of making informed submissions. Council did advise the presenters that due process was still required for consideration of the two lot subdivision and that irrespective of any understanding or of any historical action that suggests the proposed public road is the first step in a much larger development that might traverse the Estuary Estate as there was no development plan before council for such a development they could not consider such speculation of development in any assessment before them. You can read all of the Public Forum submissions in regards to the development application made to Council HERE

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