By Matthew Sims
Cardinia Council has pledged to take a step to provide future applicants with guidance on where you can and cannot apply for planning permits for Places of Worship, after the council knocked back a number of applications for faith-based developments by the council.
At the council meeting on Monday 18 March, council passed a motion to endorse introducing a new section on council’s planning website to provide future applicants with guidance on where you can apply for planning permits for Places of Worship within Cardinia Shire, and provide links to state and local policies.
The decision was the third option presented to the council, signifying maintaining the status quo, with the other two options being:
* Developing a Guideline for Places of Worship, involving creating a guideline which would provide recommendations and guidance on locational preferences, built form, parking requirements, and other relevant aspects; or
* Developing a Places of Worship Policy, involving establishing a policy which would set clear directives and standards for locational preferences, built form, parking requirements, and other relevant aspects.
At the 12 December 2023 meeting, Officer Ward councillor Tammy Radford requested a Notice of Motion that council officers present a report back to council within three months which would present alternatives for establishing either guidelines, or a local policy, in the Cardinia Planning Scheme to guide applicants in choosing a site for a Place of Assembly (Place of Worship) within Cardinia Shire.
The motion also specified the report should specify the implementation timeframes and the likelihood of support at State Government of the discussed guidelines or policy and outline the communication plan for disseminating this information to applicants.
Traditionally, Places of Worship have largely been established in residential areas, yet the council has received an increasing number of applications applied to use land for the purpose of a Place of Assembly (Place of Worship) within Industrial and Green Wedge zoned land.
Over the past 24 months, the council has received nine planning permit applications and four pre-application requests to use land for the purposes of a Place of Assembly (Place of Worship), including two located in a Green Wedge Zone; six located in an Industrial Zone and one in a Low-Density Residential Zone.
The Cardinia Planning Scheme has defined a Place of Worship as ‘Land used for religious activities, such as a church, chapel, mosque, synagogue, and temple’.
Cr Radford said her notice of motion came off the back of council refusing a number of permit applications made by faith-based organisations recently.
“We’ve had to knock back many permit applications,” she said.
“They don’t fit in with the planning of those zones.”
Cr Radford said the council did not want to discourage faith-based organisations from applying for Places of Worship in Cardinia.
“I want to encourage places of worship,” she said.
“We need them in our community.
“Let’s make that process easier for people.”
Cr Radford said the aim of denying such applications was not to reject all similar applications, but just to abide by zoning restrictions.
“We do have some specific industrial zones that need to be protected,” she said.
“This type of planning application cannot go ahead in this zone.”
Toomuc Ward councillor Stephanie Davies said she understood how “frustrated” and “disappointed” applicants must be to have their applications knocked back, but regulations needed to be followed.
“We do need to maintain the integrity of our Planning Scheme,” she said.
“I do hope that this will hopefully guide how council interacts with potential applicants in the future.
Central Ward councillor Collin Ross said he was keen to help faith-based communities find their way through planning policies.
“Over the last 15 years, I’ve seen 16,000 new Australians call Cardinia home,” he said.
“A high percentage of those people come from faith-based communities.
“Under the present planning laws, it is extremely difficult to get an application through.”
Cardinia Shire is home to three Green Wedge areas consisting of 70 per cent of the Westernport Green Wedge, 75 per cent of the Southern Ranges Green Wedge and five per cent of the Yarra Valley and Yarra and Dandenong Ranges Green Wedge.
The State Government unveiled the Green Wedge and Agricultural Land Action Plan, outlining a focus on preserving green wedges and agricultural land on Melbourne’s outskirts.
Planning reforms would also be introduced to provide better permanent protection for green wedge areas against over-development and inappropriate use through controls for agricultural land.
Legislation now required councils to prepare and review management plans to help inform agricultural activities which are consistent with Green Wedge values.
Cr Radford said the council would look at the plan and see how it would influence the advice it could provide to those looking to develop on Green Wedge land.
“Council will now review this and will then be able to go further with this report,” she said.
Beacon Hills Ward councillor Brett Owen said he was looking forward to reading the report in depth and seeing how it would be implemented.
“Our community wants these Green Wedge management plans, but we do need the assistance to complete these plans,” he said.
“We do need the assistance of the State Government to get on with that work.”
