Bowral’s Milton Park development approved in shock decision

The controversial decision to refuse the subdivision of picturesque village has been reversed in a surprise ruling from the peak planning body.

The controversial decision to refuse the subdivision of picturesque Milton Park has been reversed in a surprise ruling from the Local Planning Panel on Wednesday.

At the Extraordinary Meeting of the Local Planning Panel on September 22, the Panel determined to overrule the previous planning panel’s decision and approve the contentious subdivision of the heritage listed cultural landscape.

Development consent was originally approved for Milton Park in July 1985 to create two small villages on the land, and the latest approval will allow for the further subdivision.

The development application seeks to amend the agreed boundaries of 27 Kimberley Drive Bowral, which the applicant explained would facilitate better land management in future. However, local objectors argue the subdivision is a way to further fracture the rural land for sale, which would be contrary to the original application.

Aerial view of the Milton Park Country House Hotel in Bowral.

In April, Milton Park local Peter Rowe addressed the panel on behalf of the majority of residents and the popular wedding destination, Milton Park Country House, to oppose the division.

“The application and council’s report are seriously deficient, misleading, and contain errors, and provide no reason or justification for its approval,” he said.

Mr Rowe argued the subdivision would create significant infrastructure problems, particularly relating to waste systems, result in heritage loss, and allow unintended development of rural land.

“This application is only about one thing: the sale and further fragmentation of Milton Park and the destruction of its heritage values,” he said.

However, town planner Scott Lee said the application was merely drawing lines around the development that had been approved in 1985.

The Carriage House at the Milton Park Country House Hotel in Bowral is a heritage listed cultural item.

“The subdivision in this case is very much a management exercise to give effect to the original approval of having a number of strata-titled villas in two distinct villages,” he said.

“The Panel now has the benefit of two assessment reports from the council. and both have reached the conclusion that it is worthy of support.”

He stood by his statement in April that the objections were “without substance” and said there was “no basis” for the panel to refuse the application.

Despite the 16 submitted objections to the review, the Local Planning Panel agreed with the council officer’s recommendation to approve the subdivision with conditions to ensure the development complies with statutory requirements and the submitted plans.

Mr Lee told The Bowral News the applicants are “quite pleased” with the approval to allow the development to progress into its final stages.

“We feel, I suppose, vindicated now in having asking the council and the Panel to review that because we’ve now got an approval which we believe is the appropriate outcome,” he said.

The application was originally refused on April 7 by the Independent Advisory Planning Assessment Panel, citing noncompliance with the Local Environmental Plan, failure to address the impact on a heritage item, and a lack of waste infrastructure.

The owners of the Milton Park Country House Hotel were opposed to the subdivision of the land.

The panellists ultimately agreed with the Heritage Council of NSW that the reasons provided for subdividing Milton Park were “ambiguous and insufficient”.

The final decision on Milton Park comes more than 35 years after the initial approval for the development and nearly seven months after a fiery council discussion on February 24 which saw the whole council muted.

“It’s like it’s a bit of a jigsaw puzzle because of the time frame from the original approval until now, but all of these pieces are now coming together and (the owners) are on the home straight,” Mr Lee said.