A proposal to build a community hall in Devon Meadows’ green wedge is currently under consideration by the City of Casey.
The proposal is the latest in a series of applications in recent years seeking approval for places of worship or community facilities within Casey’s Western Port Green Wedge areas.
The permit application proposed building a community hall at 1990 South Gippsland Highway. The land is occupied by a two-storey dwelling and a detached kitchen building, with large open areas primarily used for rural residential purposes. The two existing buildings are planned to be retained.
The proposed single-storey community hall will be used for community meetings and informal gatherings, cultural observances and traditional ceremonies, and small-scale cultural presentations and discussions.
The application expressly rules out educational programs, language classes, structured training, commercial functions, weddings, parties, concerts, festivals, ticketed events, and any form of large-scale or high-turnover activities in the proposed hall.
The hall will be designed to accommodate up to 90 patrons at any given time, and a total of 27 on-site car parking spaces will be provided, alongside two dedicated disabled parking bays.
The operating hours will be 9am to 5pm from Monday to Friday, and 11am to 8pm on Saturday and Sunday.
The vehicle access point will be from Browns Road.
No native vegetation will be removed as part of the development. Additional landscaping and tree planting will be introduced to enhance the rural landscape character and provide visual softening of built form.
Planning reports state traffic volumes are expected to be low and intermittent, mainly occurring before and after scheduled events, and the surrounding road network is considered capable of accommodating the additional movements.
The applicant argues that the proposal is compatible with the green wedge setting, given its “restricted activity profile, indoor-only operation, and modest patron numbers”.
“The proposed community hall is consistent with the rural community functions
anticipated within Green Wedge areas. The building has been designed with
muted colours, a low-scale built form and extensive landscaping to ensure it
blends with the rural setting,” the proposal stated.
“By providing a facility for community gatherings and cultural activities, the proposal enhances the social infrastructure of the area while maintaining the open and spacious character typical of Green Wedge land.”
The applicant also addressed the Activity Centres policy in the Casey Planning Scheme, which generally encourages major retail, cultural and community facilities to be located in designated activity centres where services and transport are concentrated.
The applicant argues that the proposed hall does not conflict with this policy because of its small scale and localised function.
“The development is intended to meet the needs of the immediate rural community and will not undermine the role of hierarchy of existing activity centres in Casey,” the proposal stated.
A spokesperson of Western Port Green Wedge Protection Group (WPGWPG) said: “Whilst every planning application is unique, there are many similarities between a Community Hall, a School, a Place of Worship and other such urban-style places of assembly.
“In terms of land use, patron numbers, vehicle movements and landscape impact, the Western Port Green Wedge Protection Group will examine this application carefully to determine whether this type of facility is appropriate within the Green Wedge and consistent with Green Wedge policies.”
The application is advertised on the Casey Planning Portal until 16 March. To know more details and lodge a submission, visit: casey-web.t1cloud.com/T1PRDefault/WebApps/eProperty/P1/PublicNotices/PublicNoticeDetails.aspx?r=P1.WEBGUEST&f=%24P1.ESB.PUBNOT.VIW&rf=P1.CSY.PUBNOTAL.ENQ&ApplicationId=PA25-0455
