SWAN Hill Rural City Council has knocked back an application to subdivide a parcel of agricultural land on the basis it may set a precedent for landholders.
It was the second time in six months the 3.2 hectare site at Murrawee had come before the council.
An application to subdivide the Prince Road block into two smaller parcels of about 1.6ha each was rejected by councillors in August on the basis it was zoned as farming land.
However, councillors again found themselves debating the issue last month, with the applicant asking for reconsideration of the subdivision on the grounds a Section 173 agreement was in place, preventing the construction of a dwelling should the subdivision go ahead.
The issue caused division among councillors, with many questioning what impact a Section 173 condition would have on the future development of the land, as well its enforceability.
While Cr Stuart King said he was generally pro-development, he did not understand the purpose behind the proposed subdivision.
“The Section 173 agreement will preclude development on this lot, so what’s the actual purpose for creating this lot?” he said.
“You can’t develop on it. It just becomes a bare block of ground without a house.
“If the owners want to go down the path of potentially seeking a future council to approve this, well they can do that down the track.”
These sentiments were echoed by Cr Bill Moar.
“In the long term this is a highly marketable parcel of land as it is,” Cr Moar said, adding the municipality lacked a supply of different housing options.
While Cr Les McPhee acknowledged there was a desire for lifestyle blocks in the municipality, he said the council needed to plan accordingly.
“We are pro-development but we need to manage it in a strategic manner.
“Planning is about having lifestyle blocks in an orderly manner, not just scattered right throughout our agricultural areas,” Cr McPhee said.
He said it would not be appropriate for the council to subdivide this block as it would set a precedent for other landholders.
“We have to draw a line in the sand and now is the time to draw that line in the sand and say this is not appropriate,” Cr McPhee said.
After discussion, the subdivision application was again rejected.
