By NOEL MURPHY
CITY Hall’s controversial high-rise rezoning plans should be stopped in their tracks and the council’s legal war chest used to re-start the process, according to Belmont’s Lexie Butcher.
Ms Butcher says she can’t understand why the four-storey planning rewrite that could dramatically change Geelong’s residential landscape has flown under the radar of many locals.
The Belmont grandmother said remarkably few people knew about the C300 four-storey planning revamp before it was “offloaded” by City Hall to an independent panel to adjudicate.
“The changes are massive and will alter the unique liveability, heritage and family-friendly character of Geelong forever,” Ms Butcher told the Independent.
“Yet there has only been a whisper of the changes from the council. Two public notices in two papers over two weeks is ludicrous and laughable.
“Where was my letter with my rate notification last year?”
Ms Butcher called for the rezoning process to be halted and started anew.
“I’m serious,” she said. “A new process would easily be funded by redirection of monies council has allocated to hire lawyers to bolster the council’s arguments for C300 at the panel.”
The C300 rezoning, brought forward by the State Government, has been applied by city planning officers across large tracts of Geelong including Belmont, Geelong West and Newtown.
A group of 60 objectors descended on council earlier this month to voice their concerns.
Geelong MLA Ian Trezise has cautioned the amendment could become an issue at this year’s State election.
Councillors such as former mayors Bruce Harwood and Stretch Kontelj have met with objectors, encouraging them to put their case to the government-appointed independent panel.
The Independent reported last week that City hall could be using lawyers to strengthen its case to the panel.
