TOWN of Claremont deputy mayor Peter Browne said his meeting with Christ Church Grammar School did not involve any “back door deals” or discussion of the school’s State Administrative Tribunal (SAT) process.
The school’s proposed $27.3 million three-storey education building with carparking was approved subject to several conditions at a Metro-West Joint Development Assessment Panel (DAP) meeting on November 8.
One of the conditions involved the approved traffic management and transport plan to be implemented on an ongoing basis unless it was approved or amended because of the current SAT review process.
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READ NOWAt Tuesday’s council meeting , Cr Browne said he was concerned about a meeting with principal Alan Jones and finance director John Price that was set up a month ago.
“Mr Price and I discussed the ways council and Christ Church Grammar School could improve relations without discussions that are before the DAP,” he said.
“We agreed at the outset that we could not at all discuss the traffic plan, SAT process and building plan.
“I bring this to council that there are no back door deals, just to improve the relationship with Christ Church, which I think was not poor.”
Cr Alastair Tulloch said he was concerned about the consistency in the council’s decision-making.
“My concern is that we will support (Christ Church Grammar School’s traffic management plan) here but SAT will not, which is likely,” he said.
Cr Peter Edwards said council was required to make decisions on a case-by-case basis.
“I think if SAT uses council’s consistency as an argument…it just shows the SAT process is dubious at times,” he said.
“That point is not valid if we use our common sense on a case-by-case basis.”