Owner of Blias Egg Farm in Pearcedale Constantine Blias says Casey Council did the right thing in approving his application to extend his farm on Green Wedge zoned land.By Alison Noonan
A PEARCEDALE egg farmer has described the approval from Casey Council to expand his business in a Green Wedge Zone as a win for all farmers.
The owner of Blias Egg Farm Constantine Blias was delighted with the decision by councillors at last week’s Planning Committee meeting to grant a planning permit for the construction of two rearing sheds and four layer sheds at his BaxterTooradin Road farm.
The issue had been deferred from the 2 August Planning Committee meeting to allow Mr Blias to make a presentation to council stating his case after council officers recommended his application be refused.
“They said there would be issues with the smell and that my property is in a green wedge zone,” Mr Blias said.
“Council actually said to me that if it wasn’t for the Green Wedge we wouldn’t even be here discussing it. It would have gone straight through.
“I’ve put a lot of work into this farm and there was no other reason to knock it back.”
Mr Blias said he was happy with the final decision, which would enable him to extend and compensate for the loss he would suffer when a new industry code of practice limiting the number of birds that could be housed in one shed was introduced in 2008.
He said the number of birds in his existing two sheds would have to be reduced by 20 per cent with the new code of practice so the extension would allow him to replace what he would lose.
“I know that councillors did the right thing. This (extension) is what we need to do to remain viable.
“I was told that this is what Green Wedge Zones are for to protect agriculture,” he said.
Mr Blias said a condition of VicRoads to install a right turn treatment at the entrance to his driveway was the only thing hampering the extensions to the farm.
“VicRoads has said I have to close one of my driveways off and install deceleration lanes out the front and I can’t build the sheds until that’s completed.
“However I am fairly confident we will work it out,” he said.
VicRoads Regional Manager Steve Brown said that given the additional traffic movements generated by the proposed expansion, VicRoads considered that additional mitigating works was required to ensure the continued safety and operation of the surrounding road network.
“VicRoads has assessed that in this particular case there is a need for a right turn treatment in accordance with ‘Austroads Guide to Traffic Engineering Practice Part 5’,” he said.
