By Violet Li
City of Casey Mayor Cr Stefan Koomen said issues of private land use permits and the proposed Hampton Park waste transfer station would be discussed formally in the coming Casey Council Meeting on Tuesday 18 March.
In a statement to the community on 3 March, Mayor Koomen said Casey’s Local Laws, the overarching framework that covers the conditions on the private land use permits, had been in place for many years and existed to protect the community, but parts of these laws were changed by the Administrators in December 2023 and new councillors agreed that this had created confusion and that further review would be needed.
Mayor Koomen noted the proposed waste transfer station in Hampton Park had also been a long-standing community concern, and council officers issued a planning permit before the new councillors were elected last year.
“Councillors have discussed these issues and requested formal reports to be discussed at the March council meeting,” he said concerning the next step for the two issues.
“Now is your opportunity to contact your local councillor, so we can represent your views at the March meeting.
“That way councillors can represent our community’s concerns and transparently decide on the best action to assist our community.
“All we ask is that everyone observes the council’s public debates respectfully.”
Casey’s February meeting was dismissed halfway through after angry and frustrated residents shouted and heckled, prompting a police call-out.
Most ratepayers attended the meeting to voice their concerns and opinions on the private land use permits and the proposed Hampton Park waste transfer station. More than 50 relevant questions on the two issues were submitted for public answers at the meeting. However, residents talked with Star News after the meeting, saying they were unhappy with the “indirect”, “unhelpful”, and “irrelevant” answers to their submitted questions, calling for a better communication format between the council and the residents.
