THE battle royale between the Buloke Shire Council and Maitreya Festival will come to a head today at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal in an attempt to resolve their differences.
The squabble broke out last week when the shire provided Maitreya with a notice to decline a planning application for their festival set on the Labour Day weekend at Wooronook Lakes.
The nearby drought-affected Charlton community are outraged at the potential of missing out on an estimated $2 million economic influx.
Council state that the festival failed to meet deadlines to lodge applications, however Maitreya maintain that they needed council approval to lodge the applications, and what they did lodge was not addressed in a timely fashion.
Charlton Forum chairman Alan Getley said Maitreya’s paperwork had been completed, and that they have sought the VCAT hearing in an attempt to mediate best interests for both parties.
“There’s fault on both sides, I don’t think it’s all one sided, obviously Maitreya people have not filled all the recommendations,” he said.
For more on this story, grab a copy of Friday’s Guardian (February 19).
