Councillors at the July meeting last Thursday resolved to remove the clauses about the size of sheds in residential areas from the local development control plan. 

Earlier this year, councillors were asked to approve one shed that had a floor space three times what the plan allowed for, but councillors said they didn’t have a problem with the proposal given the specific block of land and area.

What they did have a problem with was breaking their rules. 

At that meeting, Councillor Jeff Nicholson voiced concerns that short-cutting the process would “bite us in future years”.

“If we keep overstepping the mark on regulations we will run into trouble,” Cr Nicholson said.

A decision on that shed was deferred until councillors could hear how the development controls could accommodate large sheds on residential blocks. 

Councillor Graham Falconer protested, saying the applicants had been waiting for three months for a decision.

Council staff prepared amended criteria, recommending maximum height, floor area and setback from boundaries based on the size of the block of land.

But councillors voted to remove the clauses from the DCP instead.

“We’ve got a DCP and it’s not working,” Mayor Phyllis Miller said.

“We’ve had more problems in the past 15-18 months than we have had in 20 years.

“We don’t want to be restrictive but we want to be kind to neighbours.”

The development control plan was adopted in 2013 and the sections on sheds added in December 2014.

“The aim of these standards is to reduce or eliminate the bulk, scale and overshadowing impacts to surrounding properties,” the report to council’s June meeting said.

Any changes to the plan have to be advertised and on public exhibition for 28 days.

Council also resolved to review the requirements for setbacks from the street that Mayor Miller described as “antiquated”.

“People don’t want a big front yard, they want a back yard,” she said.

They will also review the requirement for private open spaces in unit complexes.

Councillors had been asked to consider an exception to the covenant that requires an eight metre setback from the road, to allow a verandah to be built to within six metres of the road.