Community planning services in Glenelg Shire Council : 1998-2005 ...

Did the council have appropriate management arrangements for the delivery of its planning services? 81
The Glenelg planning scheme was prepared in 1997 and formally adopted in
December 1998. It was one of the first “new format” schemes prepared under
the Victoria Plan Provisions. Since its inception, the planning scheme has
been subject to 2 reviews: a 1998 Panel review and a 2003 Best Value review.
The council has also proposed 12 amendments to the scheme during this
time.
The following section describes the findings of both the 1998 panel review
and the 2003 Best Value review in relation to Glenelg’s planning scheme. It
also summarises recommendations of the most recent review of the council’s
Municipal Strategy Statement (February 2005).
We then assess how well the council manages the important process of
seeking amendments to its planning scheme.
4.3.1 Review findings
1998 Panel review
In 1998, the then Minister for Planning established a panel and advisory
committee to review the Glenelg planning scheme. The panel’s report
concluded that:
the planning scheme represented “a balanced and forward looking
response to the opportunities and constraints facing the Shire. Clear
directions have been identified and the scheme has been formulated in a
genuine attempt to respond to the expectations of the planning reform
program”
the strategy statement “grasped the key issues facing the municipality. It is
a comprehensive and logical development of a strategic response to the
planning of the Shire”.
However, the panel also noted that the scheme, while providing a framework
to facilitate development, had insufficient regard for environmental and
heritage issues:
“... despite the rich cultural heritage of the Shire and statements about its
significance in the MSS, the actual identification of assets was patchy and
consequently there were gaps in the level of protection. The Council
acknowledged this and the need for a proper Shire-wide heritage study,
but there was no evidence that there is a firm commitment to undertaking
this within a defined time frame”.
“... the lack of any reference to heritage protection or assessment in the
Corporate Plan 1997–2000, particularly among the performance indicators,
is conspicuous, given the significance of heritage and tourism in the
Council’s MSS”.