COLLIE Shire Council has rejected a rezoning application which has the potential to create 50 hobby farm size blocks at Allanson.

The decision was reached because the proposal was inconsistent with the Shire’s Local Planning Strategy and the WA Planning Commission’s South West Framework.

Despite rejecting the proposal, the Council also resolved to investigate including the land in the Local Planning Strategy as a development investigation area.

This means council will investigate and assess the area for development in the future.

Shire planner Andrew Watts told council that the WAPC position is that the rezoning may be warranted in the future but not until at least some of the existing development investigating areas have been finalised.

Council received the request from town planning firm Greg Rowe and Associates on behalf of a private land owner Paul Rutherford, of Perth. Mr Rutherford wanted council to amend its planning scheme so Lot 1378 Patstone Road, Allanson, could be rezoned from “Rural one” to “Rural Residential”.

Rezoning the land would allow it to be subdivided and would later allow homes to be built on it.

Paul Cunningham, of Greg Rowe and Associates, said the concept plan was for the creation of one to 1.4 hectare properties.

The property is about a kilometre north-east of the Allanson townsite and about five kilometres north-west of Collie.

It has State forest on its northern and eastern boundaries.