The American sitcom Seinfeld took centre stage at last night’s Campbelltown Council meeting.
A push by sections of the council to consider rezoning Wedderburn for housing was labelled a Seinfeld moment, a “motion about nothing’’.
The comment was made by Labor councillor George Brticevic and directed at Liberal councillor George Greiss, who wanted further investigation into Wedderburn and whether some properties could be subdivided in the future.
With Wedderburn residents packing the public gallery, Cr Greiss said that it was important council investigated the issue.
“Wedderburn needs further investigation, including more community consultation, probably the most important part of the entire process,’’ Cr Greiss said.
The debate was sparked by a report prepared by council’s planning and environment department following “preliminary investigations into further subdivisional potential of urban fringe areas’’ around Campbelltown.
The localities identified for further investigation as part of the 2015 Local Environment Plan (LEP) included land in Wedderburn, St Helens Park, the East Edge Scenic Protection Lands, Ruse, Leumeah, Minto South and North, Ingleburn, Macquarie Fields and Menangle Road, Glen Alpine.
An LEP is the town’s planning bible and the 2015 version is the most recent.
While a new LEP is being prepared residents are able to make submissions, including those with large land holdings, from five acres to 25, 50 acres or more.
Some of them would like to subdivide the land and make such submissions during the LEP process.
This latest investigation is a follow up from that and Cr Greiss said he felt Wedderburn had a good case for further consideration for any claims for rezoning and subdivision.
The officers recommended that no further action be taken in Wedderburn at this time and Cr Greiss was pushing back against that.
“Well, this is like an episode out of Seinfeld,’’ Cr Brticevic said.
“It’s a motion about nothing.’’
The hugely popular sitcom of the 1990s was described by its own stars as a “show about nothing’’.
This could easily be applied to some council meetings, but that certainly wasn’t the case last night when discussing Wedderburn.
The officers’ report outlined some of the prohibitive factors in considering rezoning part of Wedderburn for housing:
“Wedderburn is unsewered and also does not have access to reticulated water supply. Limited electricity and telecommunication facilities are available,’’ the report said.
And as the debate noted, there is just one way in and out of Wedderburn, the flood prone bridge crossing at Wedderburn Gorge.
If you count the currently closed Lysaght Road on the south side of Wedderburn there are potentially two ways in and out for residents of an area subject to bushfires and flooding.
Mayor Paul Hawker today told the Voice in Macarthur that work is under way for a flood free bridge at the Wedderburn Gorge and which should be ready to use by the end of 2018.
“I am really pleased that we are doing this and the new bridge will cover anything up to a 1 in 100 year flooding levels,’’ Mayor Hawker said.
As for the “motion about nothing” from Cr Greiss, it was put to the council for a vote, and yada, yada yada, was defeated.
