STATE Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny has failed to answer basic questions regarding her decision to block hundreds of affordable homes in Cape Paterson according to Wayne Farnham Liberal MP for Narracan and Shadow Assistant Minister for Planning and the Building Industry.
Appearing before the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee Mr Farnham said Minister Kilkenny had been unable to confirm whether she had issued a required Statement of Reason which was a fundamental step in planning decisions of this nature.
Even more troubling, according to Mr Farnham, was the Minister’s suggestion that the decision may have been influenced by an election commitment made before the independent Distinctive Areas and Landscapes Standing Advisory Committee had concluded its work.
The draft Bass Coast Statement of Planning Policy was referred to the independent Advisory Committee in October 2022 with public hearings running until April 2023.
Mr Farnham said the lack of clarity around the process undermined confidence in the integrity of the planning system.
“This isn’t about whether the development was right or wrong it’s about whether the Minister followed due process,” Mr Farnham said.
“Labor is blocking developments in its own seats but going full steam ahead in other areas.
“If the Minister says she’s acting on community expectations then what is she going to do about the 60 precincts across Melbourne where locals are pushing back?” asked Mr Farnham.
“It can’t be one rule for Labor seats, and another for everyone else.”
The Cape Paterson Residents and Ratepayers Association last week expressed relief that the Planning Minister had supported the community in excluding land north of Seaward Drive in Cape Paterson from the town boundary.
John Coulter from the Cape Paterson Residents and Ratepayers Association said it had been a long process of open consultation.
“The journey had strong community support,” said Mr Coulter.
Mr Coulter added that there had been no mention by the State Opposition to the purpose of distinctive areas and landscapes.
“Comparing Melbourne to a locally declared area does not make sense,” he said.
The Cape Paterson Residents and Ratepayers Association said it was unclear what the State Opposition was saying about lack of clarity in the process.
“No surprises in the boundary changing,” Mr Coulter said.
Land Project Manager Wallis Watson expressed concern at the way the planning process has been handled with the Minister clearly ignoring the findings of her own panel and extensive studies and reports by all the experts that informed the panel’s conclusion.
Wallis Watson asked for the Standing Advisory Committee to be reconvened to provide procedural fairness in relation to a decision which stands to restrict development in Cape Paterson for the next 50 years, noting that the opportunity to live at Cape Paterson will be limited to a handful of people who can find an existing allotment and can afford the exorbitant price that a shortage always creates.
Liberal MP Wayne Farnham said the planning process must be transparent, accountable and free from political interference especially when decisions have such significant consequences for housing supply and affordability.
