AT their recent regular meeting, a majority of Mildura Rural City councillors have endorsed a plan that aims to guide the future development of a large area of land east of Mildura despite concerns it will create “huge problems” in the longer term.
Mildura East Growth Area Strategic Framework Plan takes in more than 1000 acres of land between Mildura, Irymple and Nichols Point that will allow for development of about 1000 homes in the next three years and, subject to further strategic work, and more than 4000 at completion in 2046.
The plan seeks to ensure residential growth occurs in a co-ordinated and sustainable manner, particularly in relation to critical infrastructure like drainage, while also determining which areas within the corridor should be developed first to ensure sufficient infrastructure.
It also aims to ensure the right type of predominantly residential but also industrial development occurs in “appropriate” areas within the growth corridor.
Mayor Cr Liam Wood said other municipal policies had been included in the Mildura East Growth Area Strategic Framework Plan that would determine what area would look like into the future.
“This secures us as a region to say ‘we’re open’, and we have a projection for the next 40 or 50 years,” Cr Wood said.
Cr Jodi Reynolds said the plan would create certainty for both developers and community members wanting to live in the area for the next 50 years.
“People can be confident that when they are building a property out there the problems that they have had with flooding in some of those areas out there now are not going to happen in the future,” she said.
“That’s because of the effort that council staff have gone through to make sure that never happens again.
“I look forward to seeing this strategy really work for Mildura and work for the people from Mildura for a long time to come.”
However, Cr Glenn Milne said the plan “concerns me greatly” when viewed over the next half a century.
He said a proposal for additional industrial land on Cowra Avenue, combined with the Benetook Avenue transport route and people travelling between Mildura and Nichols Point, would increase the amount of traffic “substantially”.
“We have got to think this through,” he said.
“I don’t think enough work has been done and I think we are going to create huge problems, particularly in 50 years.
“We’ll have heavy traffic going past a school (and) that school was built with a 50-year plan because they knew there was going to be housing across the road from it, not industry
“You are going to have houses on one side of the road, (school) kids trying to cross it … but you are still going to have heavy traffic.”
Cr Milne said more work needed to be completed before the plan should be endorsed.
“We need to listen better to the people who live out there, we need to consider more … it’s just the wrong time to put this through.”
The council formally adopted the Mildura East Growth Area Strategic Framework Plan six votes to two with Crs Milne and Ian Arney opposed, and municipal officers will proceed with further work necessary to properly implement the project.
