A proposed light industrial development that divided the community of Federal has been knocked back by Byron Council, leaving a cloud of doubt over the plan.
The Fed Sheds development came before last week’s Council meeting, with Davgav Pty Ltd proposing to replace the old house opposite Federal Hall with three buildings housing a total of eight light industrial tenancies.
The $2.8m development, which lies within the Federal Village Heritage Conservation Area, would also have included 19 parking spaces, two service bays and its own stormwater and sewage treatment facilities.
Amended version of the original plan
The Development Application (DA) that came before Council was an amended version of the original plan, with the developer making a number of changes in a bid win over Council and opponents within the community.
There were myriad concerns, including the size and scale of the proposal, the use of a novel sewage and wastewater system, and the impact on the amenity of the town and its village character.
‘It’s a good design, but it’s all about context, and in context I think the size and scale of this proposal is a significant issue,’ said Independent Councillor Mark Swivel, who moved the motion to refuse the application.
‘It’s about having the buildings talk to each other in a little village, and this proposal doesn’t achieve that in my opinion.’
Back to the drawing board
But one of the developers, Gavin Elterman, said that he and his colleagues had gone ‘back to the drawing board’ in a bid to alleviate these and other concerns.
‘We moved the building back from Federal Drive by between seven and ten metres,’ Mr Elterman said.
‘We changed the parking to 19 spaces which is three more than required for compliance’.
‘The community access plan allows for… the public to access 60.35 per cent of the total footprint we’re building.’
Deputy Mayor Sarah Ndiaye also spoke in support of the plan, noting the quality of the design and the workmanship that would be provided.
Hesitation from some in the community
‘I get that there’s a lot of hesitation from some in the community,’ Cr Ndiaye said.
‘But I’ve had contact from quite a few people in Federal who’ve said they’re in favour of it, but they don’t want to speak up because the opponents have been so vocal.
‘I think change is always resisted, and sometimes it’s for the right reasons and sometimes it’s not.’
A key sticking point for other councillors, and local opponents of the plan, was the use of a new type of sewage management system that had barely, if ever, been used in Australia.
‘The constraint of greatest concern is the absence of suitable area for a conventional OSMS [Onsite Sewage Management System] disposal system,’ said Goets Bickert from the Federal Community Centre Steering Group.
The devil is in the detail
‘The devil is in the detail, and it’s beyond my comprehension why staff recommended approval of this highly problematic DA. Without a conventional OSMS, it leaves you, as Council, with liability as this is prone to failure.’
Those voting to refuse the development were Mark Swivel, Peter Westheimer, Duncan Dey, Asren Pugh and Alan Hunter. Those voting against the refusal motion were Mayor Michael Lyon and Deputy Mayor Sarah Ndiaye.
Cr Sama Balson was not present for the vote.
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