Bella Vista Farm is strictly ‘off limits’ for Mulpha’s plans says Hills Shire Mayor

Mayor of The Hills Shire, Dr Michelle Byrne, has assured residents that Mulpha’s Norwest ‘vision’ in no way reflects the views of Council, and has described it as fantasyland rather than a plan for the Hills community.

Mayor Byrne described Mulpha’s video as a ‘scary’ marketing tool, designed to put pressure on Council and the community to allow overdevelopment.

“Mulpha presented a version of these concepts to Council earlier this year, and it was soundly rejected,” Mayor Byrne said.

“Our key issues centred around inadequate planning for traffic and parking, congestion, obvious overdevelopment and limited green space.

“We told Mulpha then that Bella Vista Farm was strictly off-limits – it doesn’t belong to them now and it never will. The Farm belongs to the people.”

Mayor Byrne said Councillors are fed up with the push for higher and higher densities, despite the North West Rail Corridor Strategy clearly stating an upper limit of 20 storeys around the new rail stations.

She said the push to have planning powers taken away from local Councils would mean that excessive, fanciful proposals like Mulpha’s would be determined by third-party planning panels with no connection with or knowledge of the area.

“What you see in this quite unbelievable ‘vision’ is exactly what we are worried about when Council’s ability to determine what is built where is eroded by the mandatory introduction of Independent Hearing and Assessment Panels,” Mayor Byrne said.

“As a Council made up of local representatives, we have local issues and local interests at heart. We know what keeps our residents awake at night and we listen to their concerns.

“I want residents to understand that The Hills Shire Council does not support Mulpha’s plans for Bella Vista Farm or Norwest, even though they wrongly imply this in their statements.

“The Farm is heritage listed. The Farm is an important part of our green space corridor and leisure strategy. And the Farm is not for sale.

“Our long-standing position is that Bella Vista Farm will be preserved in its current form as a treasured part of our history and heritage, and I can’t see that position changing any time soon.

“A few years ago Council tried to propose a small commercial use for Bella Vista Farm – possibly a café or restaurant to complement the experience of visiting the Farm – and it was blown out of proportion because people were suspicious that this could lead to overdevelopment, which was never our intention.

“Given the enormous success of Little Miss Collins pop-up café last summer, this type of enhancement to the Farm is still on our radar, but I can’t imagine the community ever allowing our heritage to become something from the space age.

“Our residents highly value Bella Vista Farm. We want families to come and enjoy the great outdoors as they have done here throughout the ages. My own vision includes more picnic areas, footpaths, cycleways and possibly a playground outside the fenced area with the homestead restored and open more frequently to the community to enjoy.

“The Farm was sold to Council when it was a run-down wreck. No-one wanted to put the time or effort into returning it to its former glory. We took it on, committed funds to it and lovingly restored it with the help of the community over many years until it became the magnificent reminder of our past that it is today. Perhaps the Homestead could act as a gallery from time to time, but we will never hand it back to be destroyed.

“Rest assured that Bella Vista Farm is in safe hands and that our children and grandchildren will experience the pleasure of stepping back in time when they walk through the gates.

“With an increase in population and an increase in density around train stations looming, Bella Vista Farm will become even more important as open space for recreational and leisure enjoyment. We need more open space not less of it.

“Mulpha’s ‘vision’ has been knocked back twice already – once by Council and once by the Gateway planning system. I can guarantee it will be resoundingly rejected a third time – by the people who actually live here,” Mayor Byrne added.