Patricia Hellier - 2 August 2022
Patricia Hellier presented to Council at the Public Access Session on 2 August 2022.
PUBLIC ACCESS 2ND AUGUST 2022
Good Morning Mayor, Councillors General Manager, Gallery and those comfortable zooming from home. My name is Patricia Hellier from Batemans Bay we have owned an acreage for some 22 years which was initially zoned Rural 1C and then after the lengthy Rural Lands review our zoning was changed to R5 Large Lot.
December 2011 Council Meeting saw this gallery, committee room and foyer packed with concerned Rural Residence and there was standing room only.
Over a long period of time my husband and I attended a number of public meeting, we were involved in collecting signatures for a petition which received 5101 signatures this petition was handed over to Mr Andrew Constance on the 2nd May 2012 this resulted in the formation of a Rural Lands Committee, workshops were organised that we attended and I addressed Council a number of times.
Whilst the Mayor and I believe 5 of the Councillors may not realise and appreciate the time spent on the Rural Lands Review long term Clr Rob Pollock is aware of it’s lengthy process, Clr Anthony Mayne was elected to Council in 2016 when the review continued and Clr Tubby Harrison elected in 2021 being a Rural Land owner was also involved in it’s process over a number of years.
I attended the Council meeting on the 24th September 2019 I believe whilst every “i” was not dotted and every “t” was not crossed Rural R5 Large Lot and the DCP was adopted .
On the 19th July 2022 I viewed via zoom the presentation by Sharon and Robbie McBride. I have since read articles on the on line media outlet Beagle Weekly.
Last Saturday I sent Robbie McBride a message asking him if he minded if I visited his property. I was shocked to see how close the construction of the neighbours home was to the McBride’s boundary.
I understand that both properties are approximately 6 acres. The McBrides I believe were hoping their build was for their forever home on a peaceful private acreage . They have now been inflicted with a neighbours home that could be described as a neighbours house that is a close as you could expect on a “residential block” that will overlook their property destroying McBride”s amenity and privacy . It is believed that the neighbour is also erecting an extra large shed the roof of the shed will potentially block the view of another neighbour.
This issue has risen under this current Council and this General Managers watch.
Given what is in the DCP I have to ask the following questions -
How has a construction of a home on a R5 Large Lot occurred 4 mts from a neighbours boundary?
Did the Eurobodalla Council staff approve McBride’s neighbours building envelop?
Why were Sharon and Robbie McBride not notified when their neighbours plans submitted to Council as this constructions sit clearly outside the DCP.
Why has Sharon and Robbie McBride’s emails and pleas been ignored?
Why was there not a “STOP WORK ORDER” placed on their neighbours property when the McBride’s concerns were raised with the General Manager especially given that their neighbours failed to attend “mediation”?
How has this situation occurred after we had gone through such a lengthy consultation process that was conducted over the Rural Lands – this has certainly been a “stuff up and someone needs to be held accountable”.
Mayor, Councillors and General Manager I am absolutely disgusted and it does not give me any joy to be here today, as here we have a hard working local couple who have raised their children in this shire and have for a number of years paid their rates to the Eurobodalla Shire Council.
Mayor and Councillors I believe you have the power to instruct the General Manager to ask for an immediate “stop work order” be placed on the McBride’s neighbours property as I believe it appears that the McBride’s could have a neighbour “that intend to do things their own way” with little regard for their neighbours.
Patricia Hellier