Protesters make their feelings known at last night's Yarra Ranges Council meeting.
ANGRY protesters hijacked last night’s Yarra Ranges Council meeting when an urgent motion to launch an appeal against the Tecoma McDonald’s development failed to get support.
About 50 protesters took to their feet and began shouting at members of the council for voting against a Supreme Court appeal, causing the meeting to be adjourned for 15 minutes.
Davey Heller - a leading supporter of the protests against the future McDonald’s site in Burwood Highway - invited protesters to voice their opposition.
‘‘If government isn’t here to represent the people what is it for?’’ he said.
Councillor Samantha Dunn had moved an urgent motion calling on the council to reconsider funding an appeal to stop the controversial development. It is the second time she has tried to get such a motion through.
Objectors became enraged when the motion failed, with only councillors Dunn and Noel Cliff voting in favour.
A war of words also broke out between protesters and another shire resident, Rueben Vogt of Belgrave, who supported the council’s decision not to launch an appeal.
‘‘I just want to voice that I’m against the McDonald’s and protesters have fought the good fight but I’m against council spending money on an appeal,’’ he said.
About 20 objectors later stood and turned with their backs on the councillors.
The council last month voted not to launch a Supreme Court appeal against a VCAT judgment which granted McDonald’s a permit to build in Tecoma. Cr Dunn raised the matter again as the last vote was while the council was in caretaker mode.
The Tecoma development has become a deeply contentious issue for the council. The council rejected McDonald’s original application after initial plans for the restaurant received more than 1000 objections from residents.
The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal approved the development on appeal in September.