Another Letter to Justin Madden

Hi everyone

Yesterday we sent a letter to Justin Maddens office (below) I received a message that they will look into it an lets us know if we can get an appointment



As per our telephone conversation we request appointment with Justin Madden to discuss Wellington Shire Coastal Strategy.

Basically we have submitted numerous documents with regards to this matter, property owners have waited patiently for 18months whilst their properties have been devalued up to 85%. We have followed the processes available at VCAT to obtain our planning permits. We have discussed this matter from council planning office all the way to Liz Beattie, lawyers and media.

Meanwhile we wait, we have seven submission waiting for VCAT - we have half finished houses because the bank will not refinance with the coastal strategy looming. We have permanent residents that have had acquisition notices sent to them 18 months ago and nothing since. For those with planning permits our ability to obtain finance to commence building on our properties has been taken away with council proposals.

All this whilst council prepare their strategy for submission to the ministers office for approval, it is clear to us with time restraints imposed we will have once again lost our ability for consultation or representation on various boards working on the strategy.

Council have now placed a Design and Development Overlay over part of the strategy because of their underhanded way of trying to divide a community which I might add has been a waste of their time. Plus of course the recently initiated moratorium to stop development and our right to apply to VCAT, once again allowing council time to continue their destructive process of our environment and constitutional rights.

We are not discussing a handful of properties this is effecting thousands of private property owners. Since notification to your office of our issues we have not had a response written or otherwise to acknowledge our concerns.

Historically property owners have followed the planning amendments slapped over their properties, basically they have already been subdivided twice the initial and the restructure now once again another restructure. How many times do you expect to allow councils/government to affect the lives of the remaining property owners without a political nightmare developing?

We wish to make an appointment with Justin Madden as a last resort for some meaningful answers to our concerns foremost to stop the moratorium and secondly for private property owners to have a true representation with regard to the strategy. This is not an outlandish request and is basically our last attempt to follow the protocol available until all avenues are exhausted, at which time dependent on outcome we will initiate other processes available to us.