Conditions Set for Banyule Development

Heidelberg council last night agreed to Stanhill Estates Ltd. building a £3 million, 470-odd house estate on the Banyule Estate, under specific conditions. The council set a long list of conditions which must be fulfilled by the company. Experts believe the conditions will cost Stanhill at least 150,000 more than the company's original plans envisaged. The Banyule Estate is in the green belt of the Melbourne Master Plan, but the Metropolitan Board has approved in principle the plans of Stanhill to construct the estate.

Eleven Conditions The council conditions include:

• Limitation of the shopping area to 12 shops.
• Transfer to the council of 38 acres for sporting areas.
• Road construction to specifications laid down by the council.
• Payment to the council for supervision by its officers.
• Satisfactory arrangements being made for sewerage, water, drainage, gas and electricity reticulation.
• Connection of estate electricity reticulation to point of supply.
• Brick or brick veneer houses to predominate.
• No lot to be sold until house is substantially completed.
• Schools, baby centre, infant welfare centre and health centres to be constructed.
• Land to be left along river bank.
• Roads to estate to be reconstructed.

The manager of Stanhill Estates Ltd. (Mr A. Williams) said after the council meeting that he had no comment to make on whether the company would accept the conditions.

The council drew up the conditions in committee.

Herald Staff Reporter

BANYULE SHOCK COUNCIL 'GIVES IN'

(Herald Staff Reporter)

Heidelberg Council - after a 4 1/2 - hour secret session behind locked doors - early today somersaulted on Banyule.

The council compromised or backed down on nearly all the major conditions it had laid down for Stanhill to go ahead with its £3 million housing project.

Opponents of Banyule - a "green belt sub-division" - this afternoon described the Council's action as "frightening," "unbelievable," "disastrous for ratepayers."

In effect, this is what the council decided to do:-

Instead of Stanhill, as the Council originally planned, paying for electricity connection to the estate, the Council agreed to borrow the money from Stanhill to do it. The amount of money has not been fixed.

Instead of Stanhill paying about £180,000 for access roads to the estate, the Council agree to consider an offer of £28,000. Councillors at the meeting who queried where the remainder of the money was to come from were given no explanation.

WILL PAY

Instead of Stanhill paying for council officers to supervise road construction, the council accepted legal advice that it couldn't ask for fees and must pay for these services itself.

Instead of Stanhill building at its own expense schools, a baby health centre, an infant welfare centre, health centres on the estate, the Council agreed to accept about £2000 from the company for a baby health centre.

Instead of Stanhill handing over 38 acres of estate for sporting areas as was demanded by the council and agreed, earlier by the company, the council agreed to accept Stanhill's offer of eight to 10 acres.

Apart from councillors and council officers, no-one was present early today to hear the council's shock decision.

Most gallery spectators had gone home hours before when the Council moved out of the Council Chamber to go into committee to discuss Banyule.

IN ROOM

And it is understood that councillors - thinking no-one was around at 1.15 a.m. - did not go back to the chamber for the decision.

They constituted themselves as a council in the room.

Last night's council meeting had begun at 7.30 p.m. but at about 8.40 p.m. the council went into committee.

The doors to the room into which they filed were locked.

Several people who had been in the public gallery waited until 11.15 p.m. outside.

They had left the council chamber when the councillors left but when they went back the doors were locked.

They included Dr L. R. Allen, chairman of the East Heidelberg Protest Committee and some friends, the manager of Stanhill Pty. Ltd., Mr A. Williams and other people interested in other 'green belt' subdivisions being handled by the council.

DISASTROUS

During the council's meeting in committee some councillors suggested that as last night's meeting was the last until the council comes out of recess on February 2, a special meeting should have been called for next Monday to discuss and decide on Banyule.

But other councillors opposed this.

The council's somersault today hit Banyule subdivision opponents like a bombshell.

A committeeman of the East Heidelberg protest committee, Mr Alan Howard, said "It means that if Stanhill agrees to to these watered-down conditions now, the town clerk at any time can just stamp the seal of approval on the plan and work can start straight away."

The chairman of the committee, Dr Allen, said "We are investigating whether legal action should be taken as the Council confirmed its decision without members of the public present."

Dr Allen described the council's action as "disastrous for ratepayers."

He said: "It is almost unbelievable that councillors would voluntarily hand over to a speculating company when the decision should have been referred to the Minister for Public Works.

"The big question now is who is going to pay the costs if Stanhill doesn't."

OBJECTED

In the closing stages of the meeting, Cr Bill Anderson introduced a notice of motion to rescind the council's compromise conditions. It will be placed on the council's agenda at its next meeting in February.

Stanhill Estates Pty. Ltd. plans to build a 490-house project on the 274-acre estate.

When the original conditions were framed by the council - as a protection for ratepayers and a blue-print for other subdivisions by big developers - it was estimated the conditions the council demanded would add an extra £400,000 to the company's expense.

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