A RESIDENTIAL drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility on farming land would not be appropriate, a town planning expert told the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal on Tuesday.
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Kirsten Kilpatrick said the Warrnambool City Council planning scheme stated it was important to protect agricultural land.
Ms Kilpatrick also said she believed the facility should be characterised as a hospital and would be better suited in a closer proximity to other health services such as South West Healthcare's Warrnambool Base Hospital.
She said the proposed facility was "outside of what was ever envisaged in a farming zone".
Ms Kilpatrick also said she believed there needed to be more investigation into the increased risk of bushfire.
She was asked by Andrew Walker on behalf of the applicant whether she was aware that the Country Fire Authority had not raised any red flags in relation to the application.
"I would argue there hasn't been a robust enough investigation," Ms Kilpatrick said.
He asked her whether she believed this could be addressed in a condition imposed as part of the application.
She responded yes.
Mr Walker also questioned whether she would reconsider her assessment that the facility should be classified as a hospital given it would have no medical doctors, no nurses, no hospital beds, no pharmacy, no surgical procedures would be carried out on-site and there would be no ambulances or an ambulance bay.
Ms Kilpatrick said it could be argued that the definition of a hospital bed could apply to a facility that provides counselling services.
"A hospital bed can be used in fact for counselling services - it doesn't mean you have to have a drip in your arm," she said.
