Councillor Steve Cumming's motion to approve the Newfield planning permit was knocked back.
CORANGAMITE Shire Council has rejected a planning application for a house in Newfield after the owner put off the plans because of the Newfield wind farm project.
A report presented to council last week stated that a planning permit for a house was granted at the site in 2004 at 60 Collins Road, Newfield.
The land was in a rural zone which was later rezoned to a farming zone. The 2004 planning permit was never acted on and expired in 2006.
The report noted the applicant had stated that the reason for not acting on the planning permit was because of the potential development of the Newfield wind farm, which was granted in 2008 by VCAT.
But early this year, Acciona Energy said it would not be pursuing the wind farm. The wind farm would have seen turbines within 100 metres of the proposed house.
The report stated the site is part of a larger land holding of about 75 hectares which is used for a beef stud farm.
The total land holding is made up of four allotments, all below 40 hectares in size.
The report stated the applicant was advised that if he consolidated the allotments into a 40-hectare or bigger allotment the planning proposal could be supported.
A move by Councillor Steve Cumming to approve the planning permit was thwarted when Crs Geoff Smith, Ruth Gstrein, Chris O’Connor and Michael Absalom rejected the motion.
Cr Cumming said the process had been going on since 2004 and the applicant now wished to establish his right to develop and build.
Cr Smith said he generally liked to go along with people who had dreams like this but he could not support the application and Cr Gstrein said there were too many strikes for her to support it.
Cr O’Connor said in hindsight the applicant had probably made a bad business decision when he didn’t reapply for an extension. “He had the opportunity to remedy this by consolidating the land.”
Cr Jo Beard and mayor Matt Makin supported the proposal.
