Casey and state at loggerheads over UGB

By Bridget Brady
THE State Government has ignored Casey council’s request to remove about half of the land being investigated for urban development in the municipality.
The council said the changes to the Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) investigation area “goes beyond the worst possible scenario for Casey’s agricultural land”.
The council in September met Planning Minister Justin Madden and requested only 2000 hectares of land be used for development, not around the 5500 hectares the State Government had proposed for Casey.
In September, the council said they got a good hearing from the minister and mayor Geoff Ablett said Mr Madden told them he would “take it on board a have a really good think about it”.
But recent changes to the boundary are not even close to what the council requested, in fact the investigation area has increased.
Mayor Geoff Ablett said he was extremely disappointed with the State Government and it appeared their requests had fallen on deaf ears.
Council officers this week said they still believed the proposed UGB extension was “rushed and ill-conceived”.
The main concern was the loss of land deemed of high agricultural value in the Clyde and Devon Meadows area used extensively for market gardens and vegetable growing.
“The change effectively spells the end of any significant agricultural industry in Casey and commits our city’s character, and therefore our future, to a predominantly urbanised form and future,” Casey’s manager of strategic development Liam Hodgetts said.
Officers advocated for a more compact urban extension in the Clyde North area that would protect the agricultural land to the south.
The council will write to Mr Madden expressing its disappointment and seek an explanation as to why its concerns were ignored.
“Council will not relent on this issue,” Cr Ablett said.