HORSHAM Rural City Council has formed its truck bypass advocacy strategy for when it meets with Victorian Planning Minister Richard Wynne later this month.
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Horsham council will tell Mr Wynne that the Planning Scheme Amendment C72 should not proceed until more examination is completed on VicRoad’s preferred option D.
VicRoads sent the amendment to Mr Wynne for approval late last year during the post-council election caretaker period.
Horsham council technical services director John Martin said there were concerns about option D’s flood impact report, costs of flood mitigation, proximity to Horsham aerodrome and the freeway’s affordability.
Councillors voted for the strategy at Monday’s meeting, along with a proposal to run an independent review of the Horsham Aerodrome’s master plan.
An ongoing concern for councillors and the farming and aviation communities is the truck bypass options’ potential impact on the aerodrome.
Earlier in the meeting, Cr David Grimble had successfully passed his own motion that Horsham council request that further planning work be undertaken to determine and finalise a Horsham Bypass.
Cr Grimble’s motion also called for Horsham council to commit to a higher level of decision making and partnership with VicRoads.
Cr Grimble moved an amendment to the agenda’s second motion, including a clause to remove the aerodrome review, but faced opposition from other councillors.
The other minor amendments were approved.
Cr Grimble said Horsham council needed to highlight the social and cultural impacts of the bypass and its effects on the aerodrome and industrial zones.
“The strategic outcomes of council need to be represented, and we’re talking about a deputation to the minister,”
“I’m not talking about VicRoads’ position, VicRoads’ position is very clear: they have got option D as their preference.
“This council must represent its view to the minister and we should not endorse an alignment until those strategic outcomes that are sought by this council and this community are fully understood.”
Cr Mark Radford said he opposed the amendments because councillors and staff had been working on the wording of the motion since Tuesday last week.
Cr Radford read from an email by Mr Martin asking all councillors for their views on the wording of the motion.
“99 per cent of this amendment, I’m 100 per cent behind, but point number four says this council will undertake an independent review of the draft Aerodrome master plan,” Cr Radford said.
“That is a critical statement.”
Cr Alethea Sedgman said she supported holding a new review because everyone she had talked to said the current review was not accurate.
“Wouldn’t we want to get accurate information and have our community members be a part of that?” she said.
Cr John Robinson said a lengthy and expensive review was not the best option when the meeting with the minister was pending and it should be a fall-back position.
Mayor Pam Clarke said she supported the original motion.
“These last-minute changes just confuse everyone and make it harder to make a decision that is thoughtful and considered,” she said.
The new review will be the third of its type to be completed on the Horsham Aerodrome.