Knockback!

By Jade Lawton
BERWICK Village residents and traders have praised civic leaders for last week rejecting a supermarket, retail and hotel development proposed for 1-9 Lyall Road, Berwick.
Casey councillors followed council officer recommendations and unanimously voted against the proposal, which attracted 337 objections.
But the saga appears far from over after two signs advertising free all-day parking on the site were removed and motorists were locked out.
It is unclear what will become of the land, with developer Paul Harmon saying the council’s decision was disappointing and questioning if economic development was welcome in Berwick.
Casey-Cardinia National Trust President Ruth Crofts said the trust was “delighted” with the council’s decision.
“It was an excellent report from the planners, and the fact that the vote was unanimous was excellent. We are pleased we were supported by the ward councillors,” she said.
“It was also a positive outcome because it is bringing the people of Berwick together to supportcultural heritage.”
Berwick Village Chamber of Commerce vice-president Annette Aldersea said she hoped Harmon Group would present a more suitable application.
“I hope he will come back with another proposal; we are certainly not against development,” she said.
Edrington Ward councillor Simon Curtis said that, while the development proposed was deemed inappropriate, he was confident the issues could be resolved.
“We are looking forward to working with the Harmon Group to come up with a more suitable development,” he said.
His council colleague Daniel Mulino also said he was pleased with the decision.
“We hope the developer can come back with something that fits with the village and meets all things stated in the report,” he said.
“Economic development is important in Berwick but it has to be balanced. We do want something there and we do want to see jobs and services in Berwick.”
But Mr Harmon told the Gazette he was disappointed with the decision.
“Obviously we are disappointed, especially after the time and work we put in with council and their urban design team to get the proposal to where it was,” he said.
“I don’t know how seriously they really want development in Berwick, as they seem to have given little regard to the fact that we were prepared to invest a substantial amount of our own money and create hundreds of long-term jobs for the area, not to mention flow-on effects such as tourism and more business investment in the community.”
Mr Harmon said he planned to weigh up his options before deciding how to proceed.