Council backs zoning correction for Gunbower property

Cr Adrian Weston, who moved the motion, said the amendment required little debate because the relevant planning considerations had been addressed in the officer's report.

"This one doesn't need a whole heap of deliberation and discussion," he said.

He described the amendment as setting right a long-standing zoning mistake, made possible through a direct ministerial process.

Cr Weston acknowledged he had some reservations about whether Farming Zone was the best fit for the land, but accepted it as the most practical option given that no additional strategic planning work had been carried out.

"In the absence of any strategic work to justify a different zone, I think it's the appropriate term to apply in this instance," he said.

Seconding the motion, Cr Paul Jarman said the amendment would provide certainty for the landowner.

"The landowner actually requested this to be done," he said.

"To do any other alternative would be at the cost of the landowner and would quite frankly take a very long time."

Cr Jarman urged councillors to support the amendment "to allow that landowner to move on with what they might choose to do".

Cr Zoe Cook said it was important to clarify the amendment was correcting an error made by the state, rather than changing the intended use of the land.

She said the property had been incorrectly zoned as Public Land Zone, meaning the amendment would restore the zoning it would otherwise have received.

"This is just a correction to amend a mistake that was made, presumably decades ago," Cr Cook said.

She pointed out that neighbouring properties across Gunbower Creek were already zoned Farming Zone, making the amendment a straightforward step to bring this property into line with the land around it.

The motion was carried unanimously, with the amendment now set to progress to the minister for planning for approval.