Ghorley PI. subdivision rescinded

Press, 15 November 1977, Page 1

Ghorley PI. subdivision rescinded

Permission given by the Heathcote County Council to subdivide at Chorley Place was rescinded at a special council meeting last evening.

The council passed a resolution on the recommendation of the electricity committee to rescind any recommendations, decisions, and approvals regarding the various scheme plans related to the subdivision.

Mr J. M. McKenzie, the county chairman, told the council that he had perused the file relating to the subdivision and had found certain oversights, but there was nothing to suggest that the council had done anything underhand.

“There is nothing mysterious about it. There is nothing to suggest that there was an ulterior motive or that anyone was out to make a quick quid,” he said.

Everything in the file was quite open, he said.

Mr R. A. Young, the county solicitor, said that the proper resolution in the circumstances for the council was to rescind

what had been done by the previous council. “Perhaps there were errors of judgment, but there is nothing to show that there was anything other than bona fide motives,” Mr Young said. “I’m satisfied now that no-one gained anything by the previous council decisions.” Mr McKenzie had told the electricity committee meeting that it had become apparent, through perusal of the documents relating to the permission given to the Chorley Place subdivision by St Martins Enterprises, that the previous council had gone outside the Counties Act.

The problems had involved the closing of Vernon Terrace and the council’s decision to sell the land at a nominal fee to two farming companies.

But, if a road was stopped, the council was obliged by law to offer the land to all adjoining owners and this had never been done. In fact, one of the farming companies did not have adjoining land. Later, the land had been offered to the subdivider, Mr McKenzie had said.