Narre Warren-based charity, BK2Basics, has been given an additional six months of leeway, after a lengthy deliberation by the city of Casey’s councillors on Tuesday, 17 June.
The initial recommendations by Casey’s officers for the council to refuse BK2Basics’ application were instead overridden by an amended version by Cr Michelle Crowther, earning the approval by the councillors in attendance except Cr Lynette Pereira and Cr Carolyn Eaves.
Despite the added time, Shannon, daughter of Kelly, one of the founders of the charity, and her partner, Tom, didn’t necessarily feel the weight off their shoulders.
“This is good, good at the moment, there are just a few questions that need to be asked further on certain points moving forward, but we’ll just have to wait and see,” Tom said.
For Shannon, she added that “it’s disappointing with what’s come forward, about the op shop and that we won’t be able to charge users”.
“We’re not charging a lot, you know, it’s mostly just a dollar [for items], and it helps a lot of families who aren’t able to afford [similar items].
“We also don’t charge anyone that’s coming through, we give them free items, so we rely on the op shop, since most of our money is coming from there,” she said.
Shannon highlighted that the charity does not charge for food; instead, the op shop fuels the organisation’s power, insurance, and other similar amenities.
Before the decision, Mayor Stefan Koomen, Deputy Mayor Melinda Ambros, Cr Kim Ross and Cr Anthony Walter presented conflicts of interest related to BK2Basics, left the chambers for the discussion, and did not play a hand in the final decision.
These conflicts of interest include those when Mayor Koomen previously expressed public support for the charity and has maintained a regular line of communication with them.
Other councillors had similar instances of interactions, resulting in the need to vacate the discussion; Cr Jennifer Dizon elected Cr Gary Rowe to lead the chamber afterwards.
Cr Crowther began her alternative proposition by saying that “food insecurity is a significant issue here in Casey”, and that the application has a broad community interest.
Her specifics on the amended recommendation began with the additional six months to “amend their site plans and site management plans to address issues identified in the officer’s report and planning assessment”.
“Especially the issues around waste management, the number of charity service users on site at one time, car parking availability, and the protection of service users to avoid the sharing of car parking spaces between pedestrians and delivery trucks,” she said.
Another condition that Cr Crowther stated was the removal of the op shop signage, since the applicant, BK2Basics, indicated that the shop is now only for the charitable service users and no sale of items is to occur.
“By removing the op shop signage, this will reduce the additional public visitors, which will reduce the number of users on site at one time and reduce the impact on parking for surrounding businesses,” Cr Crowther said.
“These conditions ensure the charity’s operations reflect only activities of a charity distribution centre, which is a permissible use within this zone.
“By ensuring the activities remain within the permit conditions and reflect a distribution centre, this will improve the safety for service users, reduce the impact on neighbouring businesses and address the concerns of the objectors.”
Cr Dave Perry, who voted in support of Crowther’s amended version, highlighted that the focus on BK2Basics is not just in local government, but has also garnered the attention of local MPs such as Gary Maas and Belinda Wilson.
Before Cr Crowther’s amended version was voted on, however, Cr Pereira had delivered her own altered version, stating that the council will support the applicant – BK2Basics – in identifying relocation options and to also meet planning and scaling requirements.
This also includes adequate car parking, loading, unloading, and waste management facilities, in light of the application being rejected, as per the officers’ original advice.
Cr Pereira began by acknowledging “the incredible dedication this organisation shows every day in supporting our most vulnerable members of our community”.
“However, as the officers’ report makes it clear, unfortunately, the current site is no longer suitable for their operations.
“The report highlights significant challenges with car parking, loading and unloading facilities, and waste storage.
“More importantly, there are inconsistencies in the data the applicant has provided to try to demonstrate compliance with these permanent conditions,” she said.
Cr Pereira elaborated that the waste management arrangements don’t “fully account for the volume of materials posted”, and that noise generated and amenity impacts are underestimated.
She added that while the charity is “trying hard to meet the requirements”, they nevertheless fall short and that the current location is unable to support their operations.
“Should this motion pass, I urge council to work collaboratively with the organisation to identify a site that provides adequate parking, safe and efficient loading and unloading, proper waste storage abilities, and ease of access for many service users,” Cr Pereira said.
She further added that if the charity is granted the amended application, the consequences would prove to be much more dire if they do breach the new conditions to remain at their current site.
“To my thinking, they struggle so much as it is to meet these conditions, and I think that we will open, possibly, a can of worms for them as possibly cause even more problems later on,” she said.
In the same notion, Cr Perry acknowledged the points made and agreed with Cr Pereira “to a certain extent”.
“It will be difficult, and it’s not a perfect motion, and it’s not a perfect situation, but I think in the short term, we have to think that the food for 7000 people in our community is a need.
“It’s a psychological need, a requirement that underpins every need that a person has.
“And charitable food services like BK2Basics, they’re giving back to these people who can’t go to Coles and buy food at the moment.
“It’s giving them back that humanity of being able to provide for their family, and I think it’s too important for our community to say no to at this point in time,” he said.
In support of taking a balanced approach, Cr Dizon said that, as a solicitor and with expertise in corporate law, she is well aware of the complexities involved with land use impacts.
She added that, if the amended motion were to be passed, “the conditions are followed closely to ensure that any future operations align with both community needs and proper planning requirements”.
Cr Shane Taylor echoed these sentiments, encouraging BK2Basics to work closely with the council when implementing new changes to accommodate the new conditions.
For Shannon and the family, she said that “there are a lot of points that we still need to go through, but it feels like my parents are being picked on.”
Tom, reiterating the points made by the charity online when the council’s agenda was first released, said that “the things the council put forward over the last 20 months, it has been compiled by BK2Basics”.
“It’s with everything you know, parking, waste – everything was compiled; but they’re stating that it wasn’t, and now it’s got to go back through that process again.
“We’ve been fighting, and it’s been so long, so it’s just another wait for that six-month period,” they said.
