Footpath to warfare

Jessica Benton
JAN JUC ratepayers are forming a “residents army” to fight Surf Coast Shire’s plan to hit them with a million-dollar bill for new footpaths.
Residents have lodged 881 submissions on the controversial footpath plan to impose a special charge scheme on ratepayers.
Steve Burton, who is leading objections against the plan, called for residents to join forces against the shire during a public hearing on the proposed scheme next month.
“We’ll be pursuing every avenue we can to stop this,” he said.
“There’ll be a considerable number of people making verbal submissions and we also have plans for other campaigns.
“We’ll certainly be taking further action to inevitably challenge this decision, even going to VCAT if we have to.
“We’re putting a call out to form a residents army, not just people from Jan Juc but anyone in the shire who has an axe to grind.”
Mr Burton encouraged concerned residents to contact him by emailing craps@y7mail.com or phoning 0412 101 225.
Mr Burton was concerned about the integrity of the consultation process, fearing the shire had cut short the submissions period.
“One of our residents apparently wrote to Department of Planning and Community Development complaining the submission process was held over the holiday period,” he said.
“I believe the department told the shire to extend the submission process because people were away on holidays and that late submissions would be accepted until Tuesday, January 19.”
Mr Burton told the Independent in December that ratepayers had to lodge 934 objections to show council a majority of Jan Juc residents opposed the scheme.
The shire this week issued a media statement saying it had received the 881 submissions before January 5.
Mayor Libby Coker said the submissions “did not automatically lead to the abandonment of the proposal scheme”.
However, the submissions would still be important in “guiding council’s decision”, she said.
Residents would have the chance to address council at the hearing on the charge scheme in February.
Cr Coker said anyone who wanted to address council should phone Vanessa Wiggins on 5261 0517 before January 29.
The department did not respond to the Independent’s question whether it had advised council to extend the submissions period.