“Premature, insufficiently resolved, and not yet justified” is how Macedon Ranges Shire Council has described controversial plans to transform Clarkefield into a new township.
The council has called for the development to undergo a full public hearing before an independent planning panel in its preliminary submission to the state government.
The planning amendment in question, C164macr, proposes to accommodate 6000 people on 175 hectares of land east of the existing Clarkefield railway station.
It would also allow for the potential development of 2500 new homes, activity centre, potential primary school, community centre, open space, community farm, and solar farm.
Council’s preliminary submission raises concerns about strategic justification, infrastructure delivery, financial impacts, environmental impacts, governance arrangements and timing of the proposal.
The submission seeks an independent peer and legal review of all documentation, request the applicant prepare a Resource and Administrative Costs Impact Statement, and resolution to critical strategic, environmental, infrastructure, and governance issues.
The submission was lodged under time pressure following the state government’s refusal to grant the council a time extension, despite the detailed nature of the application and implications for council.
Cr Andrew Scanlon previously likened the state government’s haste on the project to a race. Last week he said he feels “the race is still on”.
“There’s no time to investigate the strategic merit, no time to look at baseline information on current housing stock, no time to provide an understanding of the limitations of current services and infrastructure, and no time to understand the rural streetscape and people who live the regions,” he said.
Cr Dom Bonanno said it felt as though “fast-tracking of local developments and sidelining of local constituents has become the new norm”.
“Here we go again. It feels like another Amess Road (Riddells Creek) development: only supersized,” he said.
“The original plan has been changed and the Macedon Ranges community has to deal with a completely different beast of Clarkefield.”
Cr Cassy Borthwick said the council’s position wasn’t about a question of “being against growth, but a matter of getting it right”.
“What’s in front of us is not just a growth proposal – it’s significant transfer of long-term risk onto council and ultimately the ratepayer,” she said.
“We’re being asked to carry the long-term burden of infrastructure, services and community expectation without having clear decision-making authority over how that development unfolds.”
A more detailed submission for council endorsement is expected to be presented to the July council meeting.