A Gordon landowner’s plea to build a home on his fruit farm was heard by Moorabool council when he was granted a permit against a council officer’s recommendation.
At Moorabool’s October 15 development assessment committee meeting, farmer Mehmet Filiz addressed councillors for the second time, requesting a permit to develop and use a dwelling on his small-scale Gordon fruit farm.
At the previous meeting on September 17, Mr Filiz said that he has been travelling between the northern suburbs of Melbourne and his Gordon property to farm it for the last 14 years.
“My wife and I met later in life, and we have a daughter who’s under two years of age. I think it would be nice for my daughter to grow up in a rural environment, to have life experiences that city people do not experience,” Mr Filiz said.
“For example, we have kookaburras that reside in our gum trees. We’ve got ducks that swim in our dam … to be involved in local events can sometimes build meaningful connections, contribute positively, and feel more rooted in a township.
“Maybe growing up in a rural setting may lead to my daughter, one day, taking up a local career path in the township.”
The officer recommendation to the planning application was to issue a refusal, where officers stated building a home does not align with the purpose of the farming zone and not consistent with the orderly planning of agricultural land.
Cr Rod Ward said he felt Mr Filiz’s intent does in fact align with the purpose of this zone, as the landowner predicted living on the property could increase his productivity by about 60 per cent.
Cr Jarrod Bingham said he could see the merit in the application.
“Ultimately, he wants to come and live in this great part of the world – so I think he should,” he said.
Cr John Keogh raised concerns about the application being in contravention of planning strategy clauses.
He said the property is in an area with the “highest productive land for commercial-scale agriculture,” and that approving the application to build a house on this land would set a “very dangerous precedent”.
In response to this, Cr Tom Sullivan said planning is an art – not a science – and that he felt it could alternatively set a “good precedent”.
