Despite strong views and contention in the community, it is unknown whether any Glamorgan Spring Bay councillors will abstain from voting on the Cambria Green special area plan at Tuesday’s meeting.
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Former mayor Michael Kent said he will not abstain from voting.
The calls for Councillor Kent to abstain come from the Tasmanian Conservatory Trust after it lodged a Code of Conduct complaint against him.
The Code of Conduct hearing is expected to take place on Wednesday.
“Given the council vote is expected this Tuesday night, before the Code of Conduct Panel hearing, the TCT calls on Councillor Kent to abstain from the vote on the Cambria Special Area Plan,” the trust’s director Peter McGlone said.
The Code of Conduct complaint was made as the former mayor made numerous public statements in support of the Cambria development and special area plan.
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The code states councillors should keep an open and unprejudiced mind in regards to council decisions.
Cr Kent said he did not see why he would have to abstain from voting at the council meeting.
“Nobody has convinced me that [the proposal] shouldn’t continue at this stage,” he said.
Cr Kent said he was unsure if any other councillors had been asked to abstain.
“To my knowledge there are three councillors now that are part of the East Coast Alliance group. Are they abstaining?” he said.
Now Mayor Debbie Wisby said as of Monday afternoon, she had not received notification from any councillors who intended to declare a conflict of interest and abstain from the vote.
“As with any matter before council, if a councillor deems they have an interest or conflict with an agenda item they are given opportunity to advise the chair and remove themselves from the discussion and decision,” she said.
“Each individual councillor needs to determine whether they have an interest in a matter. That is a matter for them to decide individually, not me as mayor or [the] council.”
Each individual councillor needs to determine whether they have an interest in a matter.
- Mayor Debbie Wisby
Many councillors declined to comment on whether they planned to abstain from voting on the planning scheme amendment.
A final decision on the Cambria Estate planning scheme amendment will rest with the Tasmanian Planning Commission.
On Tuesday, Glamorgan Spring Bay Council will vote on whether to forward copies of representations and a report on to the planning commission at its meeting.
The council will consider the report and all 623 representations made on the issue before making a decision.
Many members of the community have spoken out against the amendment and potential multi-million dollar development near Swansea.
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The planning scheme amendment first came before the council on April 24.
The council voted to alter the planning scheme, allowing the project to pass into a 42-day community consultation period.
Councillors are able to withdraw their support from the draft amendment at Tuesday’s meeting, regardless of the initial vote in its favor taken at the April meeting.
Many councillors said the first they knew of the Cambria Green master plan was when they viewed the council’s April agenda, four days before the meeting.
If the planning scheme amendment passes, a development application for the land can be lodged.
According to the Cambria Specific Area Plan, the development could include accommodation sites, a skills training centre, an airstrip, cycle and walking trails, a golf course, and community meeting facilities.
The proponents of the amendment responded to some community concerns, with responses included in the November agenda.
- The council meeting will take place from 5pm on November 27.