Clash over The Crest at meeting

‘I want you to understand, and I had to explain this about 27 times at the (July 9 public) meeting, that this was never the case,’ Mr Norris said.

‘It was a frightful misunderstanding that it was a done deal.’

Chipperfield Court resident Jenna Ledgerwood was visibly upset after representing public concerns about the plan’s one-metre setbacks for some of the 26 proposed lots on the former Buckland Hill Special School site, the potential loss of all trees and whether residents’ submissions on the proposal would reach LandCorp.

‘But in all fairness this was going to be a steamroll, and to end up with high density at that end of town is incongruous,’ Mrs Ledgerwood said.

She said an initial letter from the council about the project indicated LandCorp’s design could not be changed, the subsequent 18 days for consultation was not fair and she would mobilise ‘every greenie in the country’ if the trees were cut down while birds were nesting this spring, claiming bulldozers were initially planned to work on the site next month.

The council gave residents an extra week to comment on the LandCorp’s initial design until July 19.

‘We do not invite community comment just to fill in the month,’ Mr Norris said.

He and Mrs Ledgerwood exchanged apologies after chief executive Kevin Poynton explained his staff would now collate the submissions to be considered by councillors at their August meeting, after which the council’s recommendations would be sent for LandCorp’s consideration.