Village Green Plan adoption clears way for War Memorial & consultation

By Rozzi Smith

Cabonne Council on Tuesday adopted the draft Plan of Management for the Molong Village Green which will clear the legal way for a Development Application to proceed for a new war memorial to be constructed in time for Anzac Day next year.

Further, the adoption of a formal Plan will ensure that any developments on the Green are subject to Development Application scrutiny and community consultation. Management Plans for Council owned land for community wide use are now required under Local Government legislation.

Most submissions received by Council on the draft Plan were directed at the recommendation that the unfinished Gazebo / Shade structure be relocated.

Adoption of the Plan will now ensure that any move to complete, move or alter this or any other structure on the Green will be the subject of a DA and be put on public exhibition for community input and Council approval prior to proceeding or not proceeding.

When the Village Green space was established by the hardworking members of the Molong Yarn Market and Stables – it was gifted to Cabonne Council for caretaking and managing. That was back in the 1970’s.

Since that time there have been new inclusions to the space – some of which are not in sympathy with the original design concept. A Master Plan for this important Molong greenspace – directing how the space could be used – became more and more critical.

General Manager, Steve Harding advised Council that the Molong RSL Sub-Branch needed to replace the war memorial on the Village Green in time for Anzac Day services.

The rebuilding project could not go ahead until the Draft Molong Village Green Master Plan was approved.

It was noted that permission to install a new memorial required a DA and, as part of that process, community consultation was an important component