Sale plans dismissed

Waverley councillors have rejected a proposal that would have allowed the council to sell the historic Bronte House and gardens.

The motion would have seen the property reclassified from ‘community’ land to ‘operational’, enabling a future transfer to private ownership.

The push came from General Manager Tony Reed and council officers, and is believed to be motivated by concerns over the council’s financial position.

Labor councillor Ingrid Strewe said the reclassification was not in the interests of Waverley residents and the matter should never have reached Council.

But Liberal mayor Sally Betts says the proposal was part of routine administration.

“The GM is under obligation to put various things to Council,” she said. “He put up [for consideration] over a period of time all sorts of land that Council owns. It was not supported by anyone.”

Bronte House is owned by the council and leased to private owners under provisions that allow for public access to the heritage property six times a year.

But the motion at the November 16 meeting was heard in closed session at the request of Mr Reed. Mayor Betts said this was due to the property valuation being discussed, and added that any councillor could have asked for the matter to be heard in open session.

“No councillor thought it was important enough to do that,” she said.

But concerns remain over why such considerations were put on the agenda.

“The mayor let them get that far and then voted against them,” said Cr Strewe. “If your officers do all that work, you should support them. I find it very strange.”

The mayor said it was not her job to instruct the GM on such propositions.

“I don’t believe in political interference with the GM. I understand in the past that might have been the case, but not under a Liberal controlled council.”

The move came alongside a similar attempt to reclassify 18 properties currently designated as affordable housing for low-income earners.

The reclassification was intended to enable the council to sell its more expensive units and buy cheaper replacements.

Cr Strewe says the logic behind the plan was unsound: “We’d be taking the affordable units out of the market. It’s better that we keep the higher quality ones, unless there’s a very good reason.”

A motion was passed requiring any future attempt at reclassification to first conduct a social and economic analysis of the property. That report would be made available to councillors before any vote.

Mayor Betts said the age of the units meant it was sensible to review each property, as they would eventually become too expensive to maintain.

“If you’re getting involved in the residential property portfolio it’s probably smart to turn it over after a period of years. This was a recommendation from experts outside Waverley.”

– By Michael Koziol