Council
25 July, 2026
Time to call out ‘land bankers’ says deputy mayor
Goulburn-Mulwaree deputy mayor Caitlin Flint says it’s time to start calling out childcare centre developers who ‘bank’ their land and on-sell it at a significant profit.
Goulburn-Mulwaree deputy mayor Caitlin Flint says it’s time to start calling out childcare centre developers who ‘bank’ their land and on-sell it at a significant profit.
Cr Flint said developers were causing community upheaval and forcing council to spend thousands of dollars in ratepayers’ money in the Land and Environment Court for no reason.
It has been an on-going source of frustration for Goulburn-Mulwaree councillors and has contributed to what Cr Flint refers to as ‘childcare centre fatigue’.
Cr Flint took to social media this week to vent her frustration using the DA lodged for a childcare centre in Deccan Street as an example.
Council refused the DA for a 113-place childcare centre at 130 Deccan Street in July 2024 based on a number of factors including traffic generation, car parking, building height, emergency and evacuation procedures, streetscape impact and amenity issues.
Council issued a statement at the time acknowledging the importance of community feedback and the need to balance development proposals with the interests of residents and the local environment.
“The decision reflects council’s commitment to responsible and sustainable urban planning practices that prioritise the safety of the community,” the statement said.
“Despite council’s continued and fierce objection to the proposal based on a plethora of planning and public interest reasons, the applicant challenged council’s decision in the Land and Environment Court and was ultimately successful in securing a Consent,” Cr Flint said this week.
“The applicant at the time was a Sydney-based entity with no ties to Goulburn, no awareness of how ill-placed this proposal was and clearly with money to burn.
“Fast forward a few months post the determination by the (Land and Environment) Court, the property has now been sold via private treaty, under covert means and to an unknown entity for the eye-watering price of $2.5M!”
The Southern Wire understands the developer purchased the property in 2023 for just $950,000.
Goulburn-Mulwaree Council this week approved plans for a new 76-place childcare facility in Lansdowne Street – but only after the developers advised they would be proceeding with the project as soon as possible.
“We already have a commitment from a national childcare provider so our intention is not simply to get DA approval – it’s to construct the centre and to have it open and operating,” Derek Mitchell from the Hampton Property Group told councillors at the July 14 public forum.
He said it would open in late 2007 after a three-month build.
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