MUCH-anticipated progress on a major proposal to develop Lake Narracan’s surrounds for residential purposes stalled this week when Latrobe City Council agreed to defer the release of a draft concept plan for the development.
Numerous developers are keen to see the 610 hectare precinct transformed to potentially up to 3000 residential lots surrounded by pedestrian and cycling networks linking the area to Moe and Newborough.
The draft concept plan presented to councillors also outlined new community recreational opportunities on and around the lake as well as two new village centres with shopping and eating options and the potential for a new holiday park in the precinct.
Council officers had recommended council release the community consultation package for the Lake Narracan Precinct Draft Concept Plans.
The plans were developed in conjunction with the Growth Areas Authority, and independent statutory body, and with the assistance of hundreds of thousands of public dollars.
It recommended a community engagement period commence on Monday, 21 October for 28 days to provide an opportunity for widespread input into the plans by councillors, the community, landowners, user groups and government agencies.
The council officers’ report listed a series of background studies already undertaken to inform the plans’ development and detailed issues so far identified by a number of Lake Narracan user groups, including the Latrobe Valley Hovercraft Club and the Latrobe Valley Model Aeroplane Club.
The report recognised both clubs held concerns over the impact of the precinct development on their bases however both had also indicated they were open to working with council officers to resolve those issues.
At Monday night’s council meeting Councillor Sharon Gibson, however, moved to delay releasing the draft concept plans for four weeks to allow for further discussions with both user groups.
Cr Gibson said the deferment would ultimately ease the path of developers later if agreement could be reached early over future locations for the model aeroplane and hovercraft groups.
She said she did not want to hold-up progress on the proposal, but given only two user groups faced potential relocation, further consultation with them in coming weeks could avoid possible objections later.
Yesterday Cr Gibson told The Express “if you are a user group and your issue doesn’t get addressed and you have hundreds of people saying I want this to go ahead, it puts a lot of pressure on you and if you then lodge an objection, it slows things down”.
She said a four-week delay in the life of the project would pass “in the blink of an eye”.
NBA Group managing director Nick Anderson, whose company represents Lake Narracan precinct developers, said his group had enjoyed “fantastic support” from council staff to date in progressing precinct plans, and welcomed indications all councillors favoured the proposal, but said Cr Gibson’s alternate motion had taken him by surprise.
Mr Anderson said he had expected the recommendation put to council would be “given the green light” given the “exhaustive process we have gone through to get it to this stage”.
“It’s my opinion the (recommendation) to put the draft document out for public comment was a good idea as it was designed to give all stakeholders and members of the general public the opportunity to comment on it,” he said, querying the logic of extending the plan’s release given they essentially became public, via inclusion in the council agenda, on 4 October.
Mr Anderson said he hoped council could initiate meetings with relevant user groups quickly allowing the matter to come back before council for endorsement in a fortnight rather than four weeks.
He said it was important a public exhibition period be allowed to play out before Christmas or the project – four and half years in the making – faced even lengthier delays.
