An animal refuge application had been submitted to Council for their recommendation which was addressed at a special meeting of Council at Council Chambers yesterday.

Mayor Julia Leu and Councillors David Carey and Abigail Noli voted in favour to grant preliminary approval. But the 80-strong gallery did not hide their disenchantment by booing Councillor Roy Zammataro when he disagreed with the recommendation and followed this up by voting against the motion.

Councillor Zammataro said although he agreed there is a need for an animal refuge, he argued that Craiglie was not the right place.

“I can’t support dogs barking all day. It would be detrimental to the surrounding businesses,” he said.

As the president of Paws and Claws, Councillor Michael Kerr had to leave the meeting because of a conflict of interest and was therefore not entitled to vote.

Council’s key contention is a more thorough acoustic report to ensure neighbouring properties won’t be disturbed by barking before a final approval can be granted. The meeting was told that although some acoustic analysis has been done, Council is not completely satisfied concerns raised about noise were adequately addressed.

Soon after the meeting, Kerr’s disappointment was tempered when Teamster Close owners granted him an additional 30 days – over and above the original 30-day deadline – to provide a more detailed report.

“This is good news and I feel a whole lot better now than I felt after the vote. This will give us enough time to gather the required data to satisfy Council’s concerns and still meet the conditions of the funders. This will mean we are still justified to receive the promised $300,000 from the state government and $250,000 from Animal Welfare,” said Kerr.

“I was looking for an approval with conditions and I think this is the option everyone concerned was looking for. But there is still hope and we now have work to do to ensure we get the votes,” he said.

Mayor Leu said the shire really wants and desperately needs this shelter.

“We have fielded concerns about possible noise issues and want to make sure this really special development does not adversely impact the area. It is vital we get a more thorough understanding of the surrounding noise profile and how the applicant has sound-proofed the building,” she said.

“We are encouraging the applicant to come back to us with a more complete assessment that paints a clearer picture about the noise impact to nearby properties and how they will mitigate this,” said Leu.

The shire spearheaded advocacy to find a suitable site since the previous Paws and Claws shelter was closed two years ago. This has included several ministerial delegations, community rallies, fundraisers and staunch advocacy in the media.

The proposed $1.4-$1.5 million development includes an administration office, shop, cattery, quarantine room, three isolation pens, 10 puppy pens and a dog kennel area containing 38 kennels with pens. It will be owned and operated by Paws & Claws.

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