Eight years after selling a prime piece of land in Lawson for a new paediatric clinic, council is buying it back.
In October 2016, council agreed to sell the block adjacent to the Lawson library to paediatrician Dr Arman Babajanyan.
The sale was somewhat controversial because it did not go to public tender but was a result of an approach by the doctor to council seeking land for his clinic.
It was also decided in a confidential session as it was likely to involve confidential commercial information.
But council said at the time that it was not obliged to go to the open market for the sale of operational land in accordance with the Local Government Act.
The development application for a $2.3 million multidisciplinary clinic was approved in July 2018.
But the original contract was conditional upon the substantial commencement of the approved development within the years of the date on which DA approval was given, with the council holding an option to re-purchase the property (at the Council's sole discretion) at the previous valuation if the approved development is not substantially commenced within that time.
There has been no sign of building or clearing on the site since the approval and Dr Babajanyan has decided not to proceed with the development, according to a council report.
At its March meeting, council resolved to buy the land back for $594,494.45 as per the terms of the option deed.
It also will, within three months of the repurchase, classify the land as operational land and to consider future development before putting it back on the market for sale through a public process.
