Sack Bass Coast Shire

 Bass Coast Shire Council has destroyed any credibility it tried to establish about caring for environmental values or action to limit the effects of clearing native vegetation. We have suggested that the State Government  sacks Bass Coast Shire councillors and appoint commissioners but, of course, nothing will happen until after the Victorian State election. If Labor wins again, nothing will happen either, except more vegetation will be destroyed and more species endangered.

Anne and Phil wrote to Local Government Minister Melissa Horne saying:

We ask the Government to consider sacking Bass Coast Shire councillors and appointing administrators because of the failure to properly administer the Shire planning scheme. The government-approved Regional sand Extraction Strategy, Lang Lang to Grantville was required to be incorporated into the Shire’s planning scheme but the requirement has been ignored. Mike Gooey, Ececutive Director of Local Government Victoria, advised that a complaint should be lodged with the Victorian Ombudsman.  We followed that advice and sent a complaint.

A senior Shire Officer has ackowledged that the Regional Sand Extraction is not in the Shire’s planning Scheme. Ms Donna Taylor. Manager Strategy and Growth said “All I can say is that planning schemes were overhauled following Council amalgamations and many strategic documents were not taken forward into the Bass Coast Planning Scheme. The strategy is not in the current planning scheme.”

As councillors are aware the strategy was prepared during the time of the Kennet Government and was signed off by planning Minister, Rob Maclellan with a requirement that it be incorporated into the Planning Scheme.

The sand extraction strategy, if fully implemented; provides an effect tool to maintain ecological values whilst allowing the utilisation of the resource. Council has the power to withdraw Barro Group’s planning permit for breaching permit conditions. The company would then have the right to apply for a new permit although council would need to be satisfied that further breaches would not occur. The company appears to have not only breached its permit conditions but also jumped the gun by clearing vegetation prior to a Works Authority being issued. It also exteneded clearing native vegetation into the Bass River.

We asked a question at the Council meeting on November 16 “Can Council explain why the Regional Sand Extraction Strategy is not part of the Shire Planning Scheme as  instructed when the Strategy was gazetted?.” Our very specific question was not answered. Shire CEO Ms Ali Wastie simply responded that the Strategy was not formally part of the Planning scheme but was a background referral document.

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