For the second time, Whittlesea council has knocked back a planning permit to operate a waste recycling service in Thomastown.
Reservoir man Haidar Alkoraishi applied to the council for a permit that would allow land at 294 Mahoneys Road to be used for bin hire services predominately for the construction industry.
Mr Alkoraishi said he felt misled by the council, which he believed had “verbally agreed” to issue a conditional permit.
“They said, ‘We agree, but we’re going to put some conditions in place for the neighbours.’
“I didn’t do anything until I got the verbal agreement from the council. I leased the site. [Now] I have to break the lease and accept the consequences,” Mr Alkoraishi said.
A council report said the proposal failed to comply with local planning policy and the Whittlesea Planning Scheme. It added: “The proposed use of the land for the purpose of a material recycling centre will detrimentally affect the local community and surrounding area by impacting on the environment and amenity of the area, particularly as the site is located within close proximity of an established residential area to the south.”
A similar planning application was lodged with the council in June, 2012. That permit was only sought after the council undertook enforcement action after learning the site was being used for waste recycling without the necessary permits.
Mr Alkoraishi, 54, was, however, not responsible for this retrospective permit application, which was made by a previous tenant of the 3790-metre-square site.
Despite there being different leaseholders, the council’s report refused the most recent application on the grounds that no amendments had been made to the 2012 application. In 2012, seven objections were received, including one from the City of Darebin.
More recently, the site has been operating as Mahoneys Road Auto Service. Mr Alkoraishi said he would now look for a workable site so he could support his wife and four children in Australia, and mother and two sisters in Iraq.
The application was refused at last week’s council meeting.
