Council boosts residential land for more than 200 houses in Westbury

by Sharon Webb

WESTBURY RESIDENTS have until 13 October to comment on a plan for around 20 hectares to be added to their town’s residential zone.

In September, Meander Valley Council voted for a number of Westbury land rezonings to facilitate home building, with no public discussion from councillors for or against the proposal.

Cllrs Andrew Sherriff and Susie Bower led the rezoning of 15 hectares to the north of the town and 3.8 hectares to the south.

Cllrs Rodney Synfield, Frank Nott and John Temple tried to gain more time for residents to consider the proposal, but all other councillors voted against a time extension.

The rezoning plan is in an amendment to Westbury’s Urban Residential Growth Strategy. It claims there is insufficient land supply to accommodate future urban residential growth at Westbury.

Landowner Dale Badcock told councillors that he owns a large portion of the land proposed for rezoning from Rural Resource to General Residential, bounded by Taylor, Lyttleton and Waterloo Streets.

Lyttleton and Waterloo Streets. ‘The land has become too high a value to continue farming. It’s an odd shape to put irrigation on’, he said.

“On behalf of my family I want to go ahead and develop some sort of succession plan successfully if I divest myself of that block of land.’

Cllr Synfield argued that residents should have longer to comment on the proposal

‘I support an extension because of the volume and significance of this issue.

‘Some residents are expressing concern about the time they have to address this issue among all the other issues going on in Westbury as well.’

After input from planner Jo Oliver (which was largely unintelligible on the council meeting recording because of poor audio quality) councillors voted against extending public time more than the required 28 days. Mayor Wayne Johnston was unsympathetic. ‘There are lots of things going on everywhere’, he said.

The Tasmanian Planning Commission must assess the zone changes and has the power to approve or reject the amendment.

The council is required to advertise the amendment in two Saturday newspapers and exhibit the documents for public comment for an 8 day period.

It must also consider public representations and report to the commission, who will hold hearings into the representations before making a decision.

Proposed Westbury rezoning locations include these land parcels:

A
Land bound by Lyttleton, William, Taylor & Waterloo Sts
Rural Resource Zone to General Residential Zone to create approximately 170 housing lots.

B
Land at 12 Lyttleton St
Rural Resource Zone to RuralmLiving Zone to create two additional lots for houses on two hectare lots.

C
Land at 1 William St
D
9 and 10 Quamby St, 113A Meander Valley Rd
Rural Resource Zone to Low Density Residential Zone providing for uncomplicated approvals for additions & alterations to existing dwellings & home based businesses.

E
Land at 115 Meander Valley Rd
Rural Resource Zone to Village Zone allowing additions & alterations to existing dwellings, with potential for commercial & retail uses.

F
Land bound by Dexter, Jones, Taylor & Shadforth Sts
Low Density Residential Zone to General Residential Zone to create 33 housing lots.

Map is based on publicly available rezoning information – boundaries are approximations only © Meander Valley Gazette