Grazier Ron Hardy says Sutton village north-east of Canberra must grow to survive, even though hostilities stemming from the last, failed sub-division attempt still simmer in the community.
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One of a dwindling number of sheep graziers in the Sutton district, Mr Hardy says investors are buying up land in the area for sub-divisions. A new bakery and cafe will open this month, employing up to five bakers and 25 other staff.
Yass Council is aiming to reduce minimum lot sizes for rural blocks outside the village from 80 to 40 hectares to entice people and their animals to the district, already popular for horse stabling.
About 13 years ago, Mr Hardy's cousins had been among landholders who sold to property developer Alex Brinkmeyer, who subsequently proposed 2000 lots.
"The scale of the development was probably too big, but the No group rail-roaded everything into a total no and we got nothing out of it," Mr Hardy said.
"The No group got hostile, I was slandered, the leader sat there pointing at my father's hills saying 'over my dead body will anything happen here' sort of thing. And he wasn't even pointing where the development was proposed and that didn't impress me greatly."
Mr Hardy's grandfather Phillip Hardy was on the old Yarralumla shire for 54 years and he has seen the village progress at a snail's pace, while places like Murrumbateman and Bungendore have grown rapidly.
"I would like to see controlled development, a sustainable development where people could actually survive in business here," Mr Hardy said.
A recent flash flood that swept down the Yass River claimed seven of his sheep, while other threats are looming.
"Yass council said they would increase my rates 47 per cent over the next five years, that's how they are going to survive. I said, well that might make farming unviable here," Mr Hardy said.
He says he was told that he could sell up and leave.
Vacant crown land within the village boundaries was often held up from development pending Aboriginal land claims and council's concerns about lack of water infrastructure.
Mr Hardy said water from Yass River had been over-allocated for many years.
"On my farm, the stock don't drink the water in Yass River, they would rather go to a water trough. We have 2000 homes in Wamboin and everything trickles down from there because Wamboin is the head catchment of the Yass River.
"I don't know if you have been to Yass and drunk the water there, you don't need teabags in it."
