Albury city have deferred a decision to approve a 92-block Thurgoona development with councillors complaining about the lack of greenspace, one going so far as to label the current plan a 'dull' and 'uninteresting' grid of 'solid housing'.
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Councillor John Stuchbery said council should defer the to approve stage four and five of the Woolshed Estate development on Kerr Road Thurgoona, until staff have met with developers about identifying space for a parkland.
"This development, as it's laid out, is a square grid, it could have been drawn with a ruler, I probably could have drawn it myself with absolutely no qualifications," he said.
"It's solid housing, with nothing of interest in it and certainly no greenspace in it at all."
As part of the application, the developer outlined that public open space was not needed in the development because of the proximity to other open space areas.
They also highlighted that land south of the currently proposed development could be used as greenspace if a zone swap was approved by council.
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Cr Stuchbery said council should not be relying on the 'word of a developer' but should be ensuring there was something enforceable to ensure developments have adequate greenspaces.
"We all know what happens to indicative greenspaces in the Thurgoona Wirlinga plan, they seem to just melt away and turn into something smaller and less exciting than originally envisaged," he said.
But Crs Alice Glachan, Graham Docksey and Henk van de Ven voted against the deferral.
Cr Glachan said council staff had recommended council grant development consent to project.
"Other than councillors not liking the development there is no reason why this developer can not proceed with this development because it meets councils requirements," she said.
"We as councillors often remind our staff that we need to be the council of red carpet not red tape.
"I'm very conscious that if we hinder development then developers will take their business elsewhere..."
Cr Cohn said in May the developer had been asked to submit amended plans with a 400sqm public open space.
"It sends a very important message to future developers, that this is the quality we insist on," she said.
Cr Cohn said approving the decision would "leaves a lot of wiggle room for future developers to try and profit from every single block without meeting the requirements we've set."
Digital journalists with The Border Mail.
Digital journalists with The Border Mail.
