COUNCILLOR Richard Bates has called for a public inquiry into Shoalhaven City Council following the adoption of changes to the Local Environment Plan.
One issue Cr Bates raised relates to the stalled development application for an expansion of a parachute business at Jaspers Brush.
The controversial application has been the subject of various legal tussles between council, the community and the applicant for about two years.
After a long campaign by a group opposed to the DA it appeared the proponent had exhausted all avenues for approval, until a vote to rezone the area at Tuesday night’s meeting was successful.
Cr Bates said the majority of the local community was opposed to the application, and the files reveal several inconsistencies and untruths in the developer’s applications and “what I believe to be a serious mishandling of the existing use issue by staff,” Cr Bates said.
“I raised these matters on the floor of council and moved to have accurate information presented, but was defeated.
“Now we have written into the new LEP a rezoning of the affected land to SP2 Infrastructure which would allow a fresh application under the new LEP and enable council to approve a new DA.
“This rezoning would effectively overcome the applicant’s need to prove existing use rights.
“I believe that this rezoning has been written in to the draft LEP to overcome the inability of council to approve the DA under the current zoning, in effect making an LEP amendment on behalf of a developer and demonstrating significant councillor bias in drafting a planning instrument.
“I do not believe that this amendment should go on public exhibition until a departmental investigation has been mounted,” Cr Bates said.