College principles don’t apply to us

I WOULD like to respond to articles which have been published in the Sentinel Times, online and in print, and in the Mirror newspaper regarding the planning approval for Corner Inlet College in Fullers Road. Foster 

Ms Young says as fact “there are a lot of schools located adjacent to farmland with no problems”.

I have worked for 10 years in five Victorian country schools, all in the same type of location as 625 Fullers Road, and have observed the disadvantages and challenges of such a site. None of these schools had the luxury of starting from scratch and none were wedged between close neighbours on a small piece of land.

Ms Young also says: “It is important to note that the closest neighbours did not object”. It is also equally important to note that the closest neighbours have their properties on the market.

Ms Young states that “there have been objections raised but none of them have been demonstrated as valid”.

It is wrong to suggest that because the application was approved, that the objections were in-valid. Nowhere in the determination does it say that the concerns raised were not valid or not considered as valid reasons.

Many people believe concerns around impacts on farming operations, contradictions to the South Gippsland Planning Scheme, environment, bushfire risk, road traffic, etc. as very valid reasons but were not enough to convince the Victorian Department of Transport and Planning.

The Corner Inlet College board and Ms Young have gone to great lengths to point out the “thorough process”. Part of the “thorough process” is to allow for the democratic rights of neighbours, and other interested parties, to be able to scrutinise the application and express any concerns they may have. The only opportunity to do this was to submit an objection. There was a tiny window of time to do so after very few received a notice of application in July.

To portray objectors as holding up progress on “minor issues “ or that “needed schools were unnecessarily being held up by neighbours for no good reason“ or that neighbours were unsupportive of an independent school in the Corner Inlet catchment, does not show consideration or respect, nor does it demonstrate a commitment to the Corner Inlet College Democratic Principles and philosophy including freedom of speech, openness and tolerance and understanding of others.

Sue Rowell, Foster