Cathy Smith, the principal of Cathy-Lea Academy of Performing Arts, is furious Casey Council is only offering her a 12-month planning permit to start up a music and drama centre. 50882 Picture: Stewart Chambers
By Kelly Yates
THE principal of a performing arts school in Narre Warren is outraged her plans to set up a music and drama centre could be shut down after 12 months of opening as a result of a Casey Council planning permit.
Cathy Smith said it was ridiculous the council was only offering her a 12-month planning permit.
She said there was no way she was going to spend thousands of dollars on building something which potentially couldn’t be used in a year’s time.
Ms Smith has been running the Cathy-Lea Academy of Performing Arts for 18 years and bought a new factory in February, 100 metres away from her current school in Vesper Drive.
She hopes to turn the factory into a $10,000 music and drama centre.
“I have music teachers and students waiting in the wings to use the new building, and I fear I will lose both if I can’t offer them something soon,” she said.
Ms Smith applied for a planning permit which was received by the council on 31 March.
“So far I have spent $12,000 on my idle building in rates, bills and bank costs and $5000 on planning processes including a traffic report. The total out-of-pocket cost of this process will be over $20,000,” she said.
“And that is without taking into account business that I have missed out on by not being open.”
City of Casey acting planning manager Michael Pollard confirmed that if successful, a permit would be issued for 12 months.
“Such a condition is common among applications proposing to establish a non-industrial use in an industrial area as it allows council to monitor the use and the impact the business has on the area,” he said.
“Given the wording of the condition it will not be necessary for a new permit to be applied for at the end of the 12 month period, merely a request to extend the current one. In the event that no complaints have been received against the dance school it is likely the council would grant an extension.”
Ms Smith said she also had another fight on her hands.
“I could still be taken to VCAT by a neighbour who is not happy with non-industrial uses occurring in an industrial area despite there being many precedents of recreational business in my street,” she said.
“How can any small business be expected to survive the expense of this process? Both major political parties are saying they want to make things easier for small businesses. But the City of Casey is certainly not doing this.”
Mr Pollard said the council had received two objections to the application.
