Dec 3 2002 Exraordinary
Council Meeting.
Yarrowlumla Shire Council at the Dec 3 meeting at the School Hall approved the North Elmslea Development subject to adequate water being found with the test bores. The question of water quantity and quality still hangs in the balance, with the onus of proof being on the developer to show he has enough water according to State guidelines to proceed.
But many councillors, responding to overwhelming community pressure, crossed the floor to vote against a road crossing at Butmaroo Street and opted instead to have it placed according to BCAG's compromise recommendation at the railway (Majara Street) end of the Common. Council also conceeded to community demands that water tanks be allowed on all the new houses as well as on existing residences in Bungendore.
The Mayor, Terry Brandston, expressed a belief that the "silent majority" who were not at the meeting would no doubt want untramelled development, while BCAG on the contrary has been overwhelmed at this and at the unanimously anti-road, pro-heritage Nov 27 meeting by the increasing community support for their cause. Community response in favour of heritage conscious decisions has exceeded all parties' expectations and saw the council bend a little at this particular meeting. Both sides at this stage are claiming "majority support" but BCAG has seen it expressed solidly in the attendance by the general Bungendore citizens at meetings.
At this stage, BCAG would like to see an environmentally and heritage conscious councillor on council, as none of the existing councillors have any conservationist credentials. With the community support BCAG has been given to date, we hope to eventually satisfy this need for a heritage-conscious council representative, sadly utterly lacking at the moment.