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Mount Gambier rezoning decision

14 December 2009

The State Government has approved a rezoning for the Mount Gambier northern gateway on Penola Road.

Minister for Urban Development and Planning Paul Holloway says the decision, published in the Government Gazette, follows extensive consultation with the City of Mount Gambier, the District Council of Grant and various stakeholders.

"Having weighed up all the material presented to me, I have written to the City of Mount Gambier to confirm that I have approved the Development Plan Amendment for the northern gateway," Mr Holloway says.

"The City of Mount Gambier's request to incorporate 10,000 square metres of bulky goods development within the District Centre Zone is inconsistent with the intent of the Master Plan signed off by the Council and the District Council of Grant.

"The Master Plan clearly states that bulky goods should be restricted to 500 square metres of floor space within the Northern Gateway's district centre zone to maximise its capacity to focus primarily on retail/commercial development.

"Following consultation with the City of Mount Gambier, I believe an acceptable compromise is to allow gross leasable floor space for bulky goods development to be increased to up to 1,500 square metres within the zone, although individual tenancies will be limited to 500 square metres.

"The 1,500 square metres of bulky goods retail is additional to the 25,000 square metres of retail development that is already provided in the Development Plan Amendment.

"This compromise allows the Northern Gateway to continue to focus on retail and other commercial developments as envisaged in the Master Plan while still permitting an appropriate level of bulky goods retailing.'

Mr Holloway says he has written to both councils to encourage them to work collaboratively to ensure that Development Plan Amendments are undertaken in accordance with the recommendations of the Greater Mount Gambier Master Plan.

"I expect both Councils to work closely to develop planning policies and objectives especially in areas that straddle the City of Mount Gambier and the District Council of Grant," he says.

"To ensure consistency with the Master Plan, it would be preferable for the two Councils to conduct simultaneous planning reviews in the areas contained within the three major gateway precincts."