MAYORAL MINUTE NO 2/2023
STATUS OF LAND ACQUISITION IN BOX HILL 7 FEBRUARY 2023
Councillors,
New Residents are moving into Box Hill at a rapid rate, and as a Council, we are therefore in the process of providing additional facilities for the community such as new parks and sports fields.
Council has been successful in opening new parks in Box Hill including Ceres Way Reserve, Equinox Drive Reserve and Hannaford Avenue Reserve. Council has also started construction of the Brindle Parkway Sports Fields in Box Hill. The nearby Gables development also has a significant number of community parks that have been completed.
The rollout of parks and sports fields within The Hills of Carmel section of Box Hill has been slower than surrounding areas, and a number of community members have contacted myself and Councillors on the matter.
I want the community to know that as a Council, we are listening to you and are doing everything in our power to provide you the services you deserve.
Council has always sought to prioritise the acquisition of land as early as possible in the life of a precinct as a way of attempting to keep the future costs of delivering local infrastructure as low as possible.
Because of this Council’s financial prudence and good management, it has been in a position to fund the acquisition of more than $200 million worth of land from around 40 landowners within the precinct since Contributions Plan 15 (CP15) was first adopted in 2014. This is an enormous amount of work when added to the other release areas and operational land portfolio and only made possible where Council has been able to reach agreement with landowners. As in all precincts, different landowners have different time horizons and different expectations and sometimes it takes time for the parties to agree. So far, Council has not needed to compulsorily acquire land in this precinct however that may soon be something Council needs to consider for some important open space, drainage and road projects.
Certainly, there is land to be acquired within the development area known as the Hills of Carmel.
Despite making offers based on formal independent valuation advice to acquire land from this developer, and in contrast to our successful acquisition of land and delivery of community infrastructure elsewhere in the precinct, agreement has not been reached for the purchase of this land. I also understand that while frustrating for the community, commercial matters of this nature need to be dealt with confidentially at times.
Councillors, I accept that parties to land dealings are entitled to seek professional advice and to look to their commercial interests, however I feel that Council needs to appropriately consider its option to progress the matter as expediently as possible within the processes available to us under legislation and also with the ambit of our available budgets.
Residents within The Hills of Carmel deserve open space recreational opportunities, and as a Council, it is important that we do all we can on this issue for the community.
Accordingly I move that:
MOTION:
1. The General Manager prepare a report for Council setting out the processes and options to proceed as expediently as possible regarding the acquisition of land within the Hills of Carmel estate.
2. For the benefit of local residents, Council makes additional information on this issue publicly available on our website.
Dr Peter Gangemi MAYOR
