Angry Newington residents may have bought themselves some time over the controversial issue of road and laneway closures as Clarendon College seeks to develop.
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Clarendon has long argued the planning changes needed were for student safety and to enable the school to flourish but one step that might have brought it closer to reality; referring it to an independent ministerial panel, was halted by council last night.
The Murray Street laneway through BCC campus will remain open in the short-term as will two roads immediately around the school after a resolution to refer an amendment to the school's complex masterplan to an independent panel was thrown out.
Submissions were heard last month from residents at a special council meeting. Most controversial proposals were the demolition of heritage buildings in Ajax and Murray Street and the closure of the Murray Street. Traffic management and parking concerns were also raised.
The amendment would have allowed the school's entire Sturt Street campus to be rezoned as an all-encompassing Special Use Zone and incorporated into the Ballarat Planning Scheme. Currently some of the properties on Ajax and Murray street that are owned by the school are classified as General Residential Zones.
There was one submission at yesterday's ordinary council meeting on behalf of Ballarat Clarendon College, Mark Bartley from HWL Ebsworth Lawyers.
He said he recognised the importance of community engagement and the the school would be prepared to make concessions following community feedback.
They were submitting a conservation management plan, agreed to a cap on student numbers at 1195, and agreed to re-instate third party notification and review rights.
During debate Cr Jim Rinaldi asked if the agreement for the walkway was for it to remain open to the public in perpetuity. Terry Demeo said he believed it was, but it was still within the council's power to change.
Cr Moloney inquired about the likely costs to council if the matter went before a special panel set up by the state government's minister of planning.
Terry Demeo responded that it would be between $100,000 to $150,000 for a barrister to adequately represent council at the independent panel.
Mr Bartley said the changes planned by BCC would only represent a "minor change in character" for the area.
He said BCC supported the council's recommendation to refer the planning amendment to an independent panel.
He said the works were not focused on increased student numbers, but rather organic growth parallel with the population of Ballarat.
Of the Murray Street walkway, Mr Bartley said: "since the Child Safety Act has come in - all the advice we have is that the easement shouldn't be a public access."
Last night Councillor Mark Harris intervened in proceedings with an alternative motion to abandon the recommendation entirely.
Crs Ben Taylor, Daniel Moloney and Amy Johnson voted against the abandonment, while the other councillors voted in favour.
Cr Harris said rather than going through an "unhappy process of independent panel" he said he would rather push for "more palatable community accepted option that the community can see benefit in."
Cr Ben Taylor countered that the planning master plan "will inevitably come back again" and that it was better to deal with it now," a sentiment echoed by Cr Daniel Moloney.
Cr Moloney also warned that abandonment of the recommendation could ultimately have worse implications for residents, and that BCC boundaries could continue to grow by stealth without community consultation.
Cr Belinda Coates noted BCC's last-minute concessions, but did not feel community concerns had been sufficiently addressed, and supported the abandonment of the resolution.
It went through five votes to three.
