Kiama council has pledged to ensure future consistency in determining development applications that are likely to attract public interest regarding the preservation of coastal and scenic rural landscapes.
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The previous approval of a residential development on Werri Headland returned to council at its November meeting.
At the meeting, Deputy Mayor Kathy Rice successfully moved that “to ensure future consistency in determining development applications which are very likely to attract significant public interest and community input in relation to the preservation of coastal and scenic rural landscapes, that these development applications be referred to council for determination”.
The South Precinct group, which acts as liaison between Kiama council and Gerringong residents also voiced concerns about the Werri Headland development at a recent meeting.
It was approved by council staff in 2010 and is currently being built, albeit in a modified form to what was originally proposed.
The precinct group raised concerns regarding size and prominence.
“It was noted that the site is not where it was originally approved, and variation for change of site was not put out for public exhibition,” the precinct meeting’s minutes noted.
They resolved to seek clarification from council staff as to how this occurred and express concerns about inappropriate development on headlands.
Councillor Neil Reilly said it was “very unclear and there have been mixed messages along the line” regarding the development.
“What I’d like to do is to really point out that people are not happy about that and they want to know what’s happened,” he said.
“I think this is a major development on an iconic site that really needs investigation… It could well be that council may request a stop work order under the EPA Act.”
At the council meeting, it was resolved that a report “be brought to council's December meeting outlining the process and evidence of compliance of the development applications associated with this item, including the 2010 development application determined under staff delegation, the 2015 development application determined under delegation and the 2016 development application determined under delegation”.