Save Williamstown campaigners outside last week’s council meeting. 75059 Picture: VANESSA CHIRCOP
By Vanessa Chircop
SAVE Williamstown campaigners descended on last week’s council meeting donning Save Williamstown T-shirts and posters.
Spokesperson Godfrey Moase said the group was hoping its presence at the meeting would put the former Port Phillip Woollen Mill development back on the agenda again.
“It’s positive that the council is the responsible authority but what we want to get out of tonight is some answers about what went on between the State Government and council,” he said.
“Get some answers about what the discrepancies are between the advisory committee report and the Minister’s decision.
“This is a two-horse race between people and profit and at the moment they’ve stacked it in favour of profit.
“As far as we can tell, no policy rationale, no evidence-based rationale that suddenly the height limit should be indicative, that the developer shouldn’t have to pay a contribution or a levy to the infrastructure costs that are going to come onto the rest of us and we don’t see where the rationale has come from that other than political pressure from the big end of town.”
Mr Moase said the group’s goal was to see something established at the site that is sustainable and appropriate for the area.
The Woollen Mill site has been the subject of much contention with the release of the Advisory Committee report and Planning Minister Matthew Guy’s subsequent decisions – raising more than a few eyebrows.
