Matt Hewson
Greater Geelong council will abandon its proposed Lara flood overlays under significant pressure from residents.
During the March 28 council meeting, councillors heard questions and submissions from Lara residents in a question time that stretched out to over an hour and 35 minutes.
The flood overlay saga began in 2021 when council announced its intention to add over 4000 Lara properties to its list of designated land liable to flooding under an amendment to its planning scheme.
Residents were outraged, citing a lack of transparency, the likelihood of insurance premiums rising and land devaluation and the questionable nature of the justifications for the re-designations.
By the time of this week’s council meeting the number of properties affected by the overlays had been reduced by nearly 3000, but community sentiment was still firmly opposed to the plans.
Barry White, on behalf of Lara Care Group, raised the issues of lack of information to the public and the financial implications of the overlays to residents.
“This is a matter that’s not simply a concern for a handful of people, this is community wide,” Mr White said.
“This has community-wide implications and all affected residents deserve to be properly informed about what has been involved, and they haven’t.
“At a time when households are facing increasing cost pressures, this proposal has the potential to add further development, regulatory and insurance costs from the application of overays and other requirements that have not been justified.
“We call on councillors to consider the financial implications with this application and reject the proposal tonight.”
Council voted 6-3 to reject a motion to request the minister for planning appoint an independent panel to consider the Lara Flood Study submissions.
Crs Jim Mason, Bruce Harwood and Peter Murrihy supported the proposal, while Crs Anthony Aitken, Eddy Kontelj, Belinda Moloney, Ron Nelson and Melissa Cadwell opposed it.
However, councillors were seemingly caught off-guard when informed by council officers that leaving the matter there would mean the flood overlay plans for numerous other areas of Greater Geelong could not progress to the minister.
A number of councillors, including deputy mayor Cr Aitken and Cr Kontelj, voiced their displeasure at only finding out about this unexpected consequence after the decision had been made.
Council took a 30-minute recess, and upon returning to the chamber passed a new motion, effectively excising the sections referring to Lara to allow the amendment to progress to the minister.
Cr Jim Mason said the new motion was the “best way forward” given the circumstances.
“We have spent years working on some of these overlays, such as in Barwon Heads, Ocean Grove, Portarlington, Moolap, Corio, Newtown, Highton, Belmont and Wandana Heights,” Cr Mason said.
“We want these ones to progress, there is already council direction to do so, and this only reaffirms that.
“In addition, we also give great clarity now to the meeting tonight, in that we desire to abandon the Lara Flood Study overlays.”
