Project:
Tenterfield Corporation had been granted development rights to a historic site around Camberwell Station by VicTrack (Vic Government) in 2002. For five years the company negotiated with VicTrack and the Boroondara Council on designs for the site. This had included two years of regular community consultation and the finalisation by a participatory working party on an Urban Design Framework (UDF).
Members of the working party were also office holders of Boroondara Residents Action Group (BRAG) and had obtained the support of actor and local resident Geoffrey Rush and Barry Humphries in opposing development on the site.
When the UDF was considered by Council the decision was deferred and was not brought back to the Council table.
At that point in mid 2007 Socom was asked to assist the company to manage Council and community relations to progress the planning considerations.
Our Approach:
Socom’s initial advice was:
The strategy was to take a low key approach, to accept that opponents had been hardened over a five year campaign and would not change their position, demonstrate there were other views, seek their support for the plans and keep VicTrack and the Government regularly in the loop on progress for the project. This would ultimately demonstrate there was very little objection beyond the BRAG group.
The strategy with Council was to be friendly but formal (Socom had worked for the Council over the previous 14 years on various projects), recognising that the majority of councillors would always support BRAG and that the matter would be decided by Ministerial intervention or VCAT.
Results:
In 2010, the Minister gave approval for the site to be developed.
