Andrew Beattie says he will be devastated and out of pocket if a development application for a 45-lot subdivision gets approved on a neighbouring property.
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Oberon Council planning and development director Shane Wilson recently met with some of those concerned about the subdivision, which isn’t likely to go before council until April at the earliest.
In a press release from representatives opposing the subdivision, it states they have more than 70 resident signatures on a petition against the subdivision.
They say the area has no town water or sewage services and is located on a 100 kilometre per hour bypass road used by heavy-duty logging and quarry trucks.
Neighbouring landholder Mr Beattie said the dedicated road for the subdivision, which is called Beatties Road, runs through his property and to start he will have to fence both sides of the road plus plant a buffer zone.
The development application is for land at 175 Titania Road to be divided into blocks as small as one hectare.
Oberon Council wrote to local residents in January noting that the DA was before the council and 20 letters were received objecting to the proposal.
Concerns raised included that it presents a major threat to the underground water supply for existing properties in the area; has a potential to cause groundwater pollution due to sewage treatment unit run-offs; is an unsuitable area for a development where the size of more than two-thirds of the lots would be under two hectares; is inconsistent with the nearby Titania Estate, which has larger lots; and has no tangible benefit for the Oberon community.
Many residents have pointed out the threat to water supplies for surrounding properties, pointing out that some existing bores in the area are already unreliable. They have expressed strong opposition to the sinking of more bores.
Six local property owners have formed a committee to spearhead opposition to the DA and last week, members of the committee met Mr Wilson to discuss the proposed subdivision. Mr Wilson told the Oberon Review that many issues were discussed, but they were not going to be released to the public.
Oberon Council first received an application in 2014, when the owners sought a reduction in the minimum lot size from the allowable minimum of two hectares for the zoning to a new minimum of one hectare.
Ten letters in opposition were received from residents.
Council supported the requested minimum lot size reduction, which the NSW Government approved.
The application said there was a demand for smaller lot sizes in the area.
Mr Wilson said the earliest the DA would go before Oberon Council would be at its April meeting.