If David Murdoch and his wife Vicki had a house on this Raworth block their shed plans would have been approved under the state government’s complying development guidelines.
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The absence of the house left the shed in the hands of Maitland councillors, who last week rejected their plans at a council meeting and went against the council staff’s recommendation to approve the shed.
Council development manager David Simm said one of the reasons staff had recommended the shed be approved was that the landowners could secure an approval once a house was built on the land. He said the land was suitable for a house and the proposed site of the shed, which was five metres from the boundary with 290 and 292 Morpeth Road, would have met the complying development guidelines if a house had already been built.
All of the councillors except Steve Procter, and Philip and Nicole Penfold, agreed with councillor Bob Geoghegan’s four recommendations for refusal, which revolved around the impact on the residents at 292 Morpeth Road.
Councillor Geoghegan said the position, height and bulk of the shed would have a significant impact on the visual amenity from 292 Morpeth Road and the shed was likely to generate significant noise impacts on that dwelling.
He also said the bulk and scale of the shed was not consistent with buildings in that area.
Under the latest plans for the 300 square metre shed, which were considered at that meeting, part of the building would have been built directly behind 292 Morpeth Road and the rest would have been built directly behind a long shed at 290 Morpeth Road.
The shed was to be 25 metres long, 12 metres wide and 5.81 metres high.
Mr Murdoch’s land and blocks 290 and 292 on Morpeth Road are zoned primary production, Mr Simm said.
Mr Murdoch said a contour study showed there were two sites on the land that were above the one-in-100 year flood level and the proposed location was the best place to put it.
He said he had moved the shed site and changed its height and colour to try to secure council approval.
The Morpeth Fire Station captain and paediatric emergency nurse at John Hunter Hospital has worked two jobs for 18 years to try to achieve his dream of living a relaxed lifestyle on a rural block.
He said he wanted to put two tractors, a boat, camper trailer and vintage cars and motorbikes in the shed.
“I’ve bought a little bit of land to tinker with and relax with my family, I’ve got two very stressful jobs,” he said.
“I don’t want to move [the shed] into a flood zone so it can get flooded.”