Welcome everyone to tonight's meeting of the urban planning special committee.

My name is councillor Garry Thompson and I chair this committee.

The health safety and well-being of the community has and always will be paramount consideration of the council. 

Council continues to be guided by the government directives and wants to be able to do the right thing for the health of our community during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The COVID-19 omnibus emergency measures act 2020 passed by the Victorian Parliament on the 23rd of April 2020 included changes to the Local Government Act 2020 which affected the conduct of council meetings. 

The changes became effective from 1 May 2020. Council is now able to hold virtual meetings and councillors can participate in meetings remotely by electronic means of communication.

The urban planning special committee meeting is being live-streamed on council’s website and you will be able to view the Proceedings of the meeting council deliberations and voting. 

The meeting will also be recorded and will be made available on council’s website as soon as practically possible after the meeting. 

Should technical problems be encountered by the committee then the meeting will be adjourned until resolution or otherwise postponed. 

I will start by introducing my fellow councillors and officers who are present this evening for the urban planning special committee meeting. 

The mayor Councillor Cynthia Watson, present. Councillor Coral Ross, good evening. Councillor Felicity Sinfield, good evening. Councillor Jim Parke, good evening chair. Councillor Jack Wegman, good evening. 

Councillor Jane Addis, good evening. Councillor Lisa Hollingsworth, good evening. And last but not least, councillor Steve Hurd, evening chair and councillors, members of the community and officers. Thank you.

Also in attendance this evening we have the chief executive officer mr Phillip Storer, director of City Planning Shiran Wickramasinghe, acting manager of strategic planning Shiranthi Widan, manager of Governance David Thompson and governance projects officer Elizabeth Manou. 

There are also a number of other officers who will be in attendance this evening and they will be introduced as they present their reports.

The purpose of the urban planning special committee essentially is to deal with issues under the Planning and Environment Act and the building act.

This committee has delegated authority to make decisions on behalf of council. Councillors are familiar with the report which includes a summary of all objections received.

I will now move on to the order of business as listed in our business papers. Apologies, mr. Thompson have we received any apologies this evening. 

Through you mr. chair we have an apology from councillor Healey who's been granted a leave of absence from Council. Thank You mr. Thompson.

Item one adoption and confirmation of the minutes of the UPSC meeting held on the 1st of June. Councillors can I seek, councillor Parke. Happy to move as circulated. 

Thank You councillor Parke and seconded councillor Sinfield. Is there any discussion on that item. I'll now put that item to the vote all those in favour, I declare that carried unanimously thank you councillors.

Item 2 declaration of any conflict of interest of any councillor or council officer. Are there any conflicts this evening. There appears to be no conflicts thank you councillors.

We'll move on to our first officer report item 3.1 Amendment C 305 Methodist ladies college heritage review consideration of the panel report.

This report will be presented by Mikaela Carter our strategic planner. Mikaela we just can't hear you for the time being we'll try again. 

Thank You mr. chair can you hear me. We can thank you Mikaela please proceed. 

Thank you everybody apologies. This report considers the recommendations made by the panel appointed to consider amendment C305 to the Boroondara planning scheme and an officer position to adopt the recommendations of the panel. 

Exhibition of the amendment was undertaken from the 28 February to the 5 April 2019. Council received five submissions, one of which was withdrawn prior to the panel hearing. 

Of the remaining submissions three were supporting and one was objecting. A panel hearing to consider submissions was held on the 16 October 2019. 

Only the property owner the Methodist ladies college was represented at the public hearing. The panel report has now been published and recommends the amendment be adopted subject to the following changes.

Remove reference to ‘contributory’ gradings in the Statement of Significance and
citation. 

Identify significant buildings and elements and the contributory values of other buildings and elements to the significance of the heritage place, the Methodist ladies college.

Remove the significant grading for Fitchett Chapel and identify as contributing to the significance of the heritage place.

Remove the significant grading for the boarding house wings and boarder's dining room and identify as contributing to the significance of the heritage place.

Remove the contributory grading for Crom fence and gates and identify as elements that contribute to the significance of the heritage place.

Include within the comparative analysis updated Heritage overlay references within the Boroondara planning scheme to Scotch College, Siena convent and Canterbury girls College.

Apply the Heritage overlay and a new Heritage overlay designation based on a prepared statement of significance for the following individually significant properties, being Wentworth and red house. 

And to amend the schedule to clause 43.01 to the Heritage overlay to clarify the wording of tree controls for HO795 consistent with the methodist ladies college heritage citation of 20 August 2018.

Officers fully support the recommendations of the panel. All of the buildings and elements Council sought to include in the Heritage overlay have been supported by the panel.

The key changes relate to terminology used, the level of contribution the buildings and elements make to the significance of the place and other administrative changes.

A more detailed discussion of the proposed changes to the citation is contained in the officer's report and at attachment two. 

In addition to the changes recommended by the panel, other minor and inconsequential edits have also been made to the MLC citation.

Should the UPSC resolve to endorse the amendment as recommended, officers will prepare a report for consideration at a future ordinary meeting of Council recommending adoption of amendment C305. 

Thank you and I'm happy to answer any questions.

Thank you miss Carter for your presentation. Councillors there are no presentations from the community this evening so I will turn to any questions of officers. Councillor Sinfield. 

I've got no questions happy to move the officer's recommendation when the time is right.  Thank you councillor Sinfield. 

Councillors are there any questions for officers. There appears to be no questions this evening. 

Councillor Sinfield you foreshadowed a motion which is the officers recommendation and councillor Parke you happy to second that. I am chair. Thank you.  

To assist councillor Sinfield is there any opposition to this item, there appears to be no opposition. Councillor Sinfield. 

Thank you chair in the absence of opposition I won't speak to this in great length. However, the Ward councillor is not present tonight, councillor Healey this falls in the Studley ward. 

So I'll just briefly remark on the contribution that methodist ladies college makes to the City of Boroondara and the amenity of the local Hawthorn and surrounding areas. 

It is a little disappointing I suppose to see some areas downgraded and various changes made to the citation there, but I trust that methodist ladies college is just as keen as the rest of the community to ensure that those historic buildings are enjoyed by many generations of not just the school girls at MLC but the community more broadly in years to come. 

I commend the motion and the officer's recommendation. Thank you councillor Sinfield. 

Any other councillors wishing to speak on this item, there appears to be none. I will now put this motion to the vote. All those in favour and I'll call out your names.

Councillor Ross, councillor Parke, councillor Sinfield, mayor councillor Watson, councillor Wegman, councillor Addis, councillor Hollingsworth, councillor Hurd and myself councillor Thompson. I declare that carried unanimously thank you councillors.

We'll move on to item four general business. Councillors are there any items of general business this evening. There appears to be no items of general business.

Item five urgent business. Councillors are there any items of urgent business. There appears to be no items of urgent business. 

Item six confidential business. Any items of confidential business. There appears to be none. 

Thank you to the members of the community who viewed this evenings meeting. It is quite a short meeting this evening. 

I do declare the urban planning special committee meeting closed at 6:45 p.m. Thank you everyone.