Toowoomba council votes to explore changes to special meeting processes, concept endorsed by developer Denis Wagner
The Toowoomba council will explore changes to how elected officials can “call in” developments for special meetings, in a move that has been endorsed by a major player.
Council
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One of Toowoomba’s most pre-eminent developers has welcomed a move to reform the way councillors could “call in” projects for special meetings.
Councillor Kerry Shine won the support of enough colleagues last week to organise a workshop to consider “alternative practices in the councillors’ examination and calling in of development applications of interest”.
The motion came weeks after developer Clifton Lifestyle Pty Ltd’s 312-dwelling retirement resort off Hursley Road in Torrington was approved at a special meeting.
The decision came eight months after four councillors called the code-assessable application in, with no grounds given.
Mr Shine argued the council needed to adopt an “efficient and effective determination” process to not hold up housing developments during the city’s ongoing housing affordability and availability crisis.
Wagner Corp director Denis Wagner praised the move towards reforms.
“I don’t think that councillors should be able to call stuff in on a whim,” he said on Friday.
“There should be some certain guidelines that if a development doesn’t meet, then it goes through that process.
“The purpose of having a planning scheme and a code-assessable or impact assessable process really should allow developers to go and submit an application with some certainty of the outcome.
“That’s certainly not happening at the moment.”
Mr Shine’s motion was met with opposition during the last week’s meeting, notably from councillor Bill Cahill who believed it was too prescriptive.
“It’s not that I don’t support the notion of exploring better ways of doing things (but this motion is) pre-emptive of the guidelines or terms of reference for this workshop,” he said.
“We’ve been reminded by solicitors that councillors have ultimate discretion around the register of delegations and call-ins and what we want to discuss, and councillors don’t have to provide reasons, other than being cognisant that we represent the interests of the broader public.
“We are kidding ourselves if we’re going to go into a workshop with a prescriptive parameters set in.”
Councillors Melissa Taylor and Carol Taylor also voted against it.
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