Councillors prefer consultation

GEELONG councillors have refused to commit to a public meeting with residents who fear their homes could be compulsorily acquired.

Lovely Banks residents have been pressuring their ward councillors to call a meeting as concerns grow about plans to build super suburbs on Geelong’s rural fringe.

The Geelong Advertiser revealed yesterday City Hall was not ruling out land acquisitions to pave the way for 110,000 new residents in Lovely Banks and Batesford in the coming decades.

Earlier this week, Lovely Banks resident Aneta Katny said a public meeting was needed to ensure locals were aware of council’s intentions.

But Windermere ward councillors Anthony Aitken and Kylie Grzybek have thrown their support behind other avenues.

Cr Aitken said he had spoken to residents and would support council’s “formal” consultation process.

“If at the conclusion of that process it is identified there would be benefit in conducting a public meeting chaired by the Windermere-based councillors, I am open to consider that,” he said.

“However, my preference is to conduct the formal consultation process outlined by our planning officers first as this process, I believe, will address and inform the community about these exciting proposed growth zones for Geelong.”

Cr Grzybek said concerned residents had the option of attending four open house sessions in the coming weeks.

“Consultation is now open until June 22 and face-to-face meetings are actually happening as part of that consultation process,” she said.

At a council meeting on Tuesday, several councillors acknowledged residents had approached with concerns homes could be bulldozed.

“I’ve had quite a lot of contact regarding these plans,” Cr Grzybek said.

“I hope we’ll go through extensive community consultation to ensure we are not necessarily bulldozing homes.”

Councillor Eddy Kontelj said he was “shocked but not surprised” by the fears raised.

“There is no intention at this point . . . or anything in this report to suggest houses will be bulldozed,” Cr Kontelj said.

However, City Hall’s acting planning and development director Joanne Van Slageren said land acquisition was a possibility, but would only happen after consultation.