Cranbourne West land subject to anti-corruption inquiry won’t be rezoned in a blow to developers
Plans to rezone industrial land into a residential area in Melbourne’s southeast have been quashed — denying developers a $100 million payday — just months after the project was linked to Casey Council’s infamous IBAC investigation.
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Plans to rezone industrial land in Melbourne’s southeast and create new housing have been quashed — denying developers a $100 million payday.
The proposal to alter the planning amendment in Cranbourne West, which has recently been under scrutiny by the state’s anti-corruption body because of donations lavished on councillors by developers, was backed by Casey Council in 2014.
But Planning Minister Richard Wynne has finally rejected the push, saying that the 133 hectares of land would be critical to providing local jobs for southeast residents.
“People need jobs close to where they live – that’s why industrial and commercial land is critical for our growing communities,” he said.
Late last year the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission began public hearings into developers and donations, and it was revealed the Casey Council amendment known as C219 would have benefited land owners and developers by about $100 million.
Land owners Leighton Pty Ltd and the Kelly family employed John Woodman, the director of Watsons Pty Ltd, to secure backing for the plan in 2014.
Mr Woodman is alleged to have paid more than $1.2 million to two Casey councillors – Sam Aziz and Geoff Ablett – while they were on council.
Mr Woodman, Mr Aziz and Mr Ablett deny the payments were bribes or that they were aimed at securing council votes.
Counsel assisting IBAC, Michael Tovey QC, said last year on C219 that between 2014 and 2018 some councillors “received donations, gifts and benefits” from developers or their associates “who were directly or indirectly involved in the application”.
The application to rezone land was first backed by the council after Mr Aziz put forward an urgent motion in support in early 2014.
“Councillor Aziz voted time and time again in a manner which favoured the developers without ever indicating that he had what we would say was an obvious financial relationship with Watsons and with Mr Woodman,” Mr Tovey said.
Mr Tovey said some payments were “patently corrupt cash payments” while others were sophisticated arrangements designed to cover up the flow of money through the guise of services acquired by Mr Woodman.
Mr Wynne said the government would consider any potential IBAC recommendations about planning processes at council level when the investigation concludes.
“The appalling behaviour of Casey Council is exactly why the State Government takes responsibility for rezoning decisions – we’re now looking at how the planning process relates to councils and what we can do to improve it.”
Opposition planning spokesman Tim Smith said Labor, which benefited from tens of thousands of dollars of donations from Mr Woodman in the lead up to the 2018 state election, should have acted sooner.
“This tainted and dodgy planning scheme amendment should have been rejected by the Andrews Government years ago,” he said.
He said the Labor Party had received thousands of dollars in donations from Mr Woodman and his associated entities.
Mr Wynne said there was a shortage of industrial land across Melbourne and about 1300 hectares of commercial land and 13,500 hectares of industrial land had now been identified.
This could deliver up to 270,000 jobs in the office and retail sector, and 300,000 jobs in manufacturing, logistics and other industrial uses.
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