Minister tees up for decision

By Paul Dunlop
PLANNING Minister Rob Hulls will be told Cardinia Shire Council wants Pakenham Golf Club to be sold for a housing and parkland development.
At a special meeting on Monday, a bid led by mayor Bill Ronald to cast aside colleagues’ support for the sale was quashed by a 43 vote.
The rescission attempt came after a week of debate over Bunyip Ward councillor Bill Pearson’s change of mind, which sparked council’s position on the issue to shift from neutral to outright support.
It is now over to the Minister, and Mr Hulls must decide whether to:
Uphold the findings of an independent planning panel that recommended the proposal should be abandoned; or
Agree with the council which last year rejected the panel’s advice, claiming its report contained fundamental errors and went against the provisions of Melbourne 2030.
A tense atmosphere filled the meeting chamber as councillors debated the merits of their position.
Cr Pearson has been both lauded and lambasted by colleagues for his stance and in the community since saying he had changed his mind. Cr Pearson stuck strongly to his view that council and the community stood to gain much more than it lost from the controversial redevelopment. The council stands to earn up to $24 million from the sale and development of the golf course, with $12 million earmarked for the new facility in McGregor Road.
“I was of the opinion that that the golf club was against this proposal – in fact they are totally in support,” Cr Pearson said. “I have come to this from an honest point of view. I see so much not done. This money can be used to help shore up things we can use in the community.”
Cr Pearson was grilled by colleagues with Crs Ronald, Brett Owen and Ed Chatwin arguing strongly in favour of letting the Minister make the decision without a lead from council.
The attimes fiery debate lasted more than an hour in front of about 30 residents in the public gallery.
Cr Ronald said Cr Pearson had brought on a debate it did not need to have. He claimed Cr Pearson’s stance had split the council and misled the community.
“The correct position would be to sit back and wait for the Minister to make a decision,” he said.
Cr Ronald said the council stood to lose a significant amount of open space from the sale of the golf course land – a point contested by Cr Doug Hamilton, who said it would do no such thing.
“It’s not open space, it is a golf course. People do not have the right to walk over that land at any time,” Cr Hamilton said.
Cr Owen said he had full confidence in the panel’s finding and believed, along with Cr Ronald, the Minister would uphold that view.
Cr Graeme Legge argued the panel report contained many inaccuracies. He said he had been impressed by Cr Pearson’s stance and refuted claims he had misled council.
Speaking to the Gazette, Cr Pearson said he took no personal satisfaction from the decision but maintained it was the right thing to do.
He said he did not see his stance as a sign of things to come in terms of voting patterns on council.
“I will continue to vote on things the way I see them,” he said. “I stood at the last election to bring financial stability, openness and benefits to all our ratepayers. That is what I still stand for and if people don’t want that they’ll get rid of me at the next election.”