LYNDOCH businessman Charlie Scalzi wants people to know he is honest, hard-working, and has the community’s interests at heart, after having had his plans for a subdivision met with some apprehension.

Mr Scalzi, 71, is in the process of finalising an 82-lot subdivision on 8.45 hectares, at 65 Gods Hill Road.

His application was presented and then deferred at the May meeting of the Barossa Assessment Panel after council’s assessing officer recommended it for refusal, and 18 representations by the public raised their concerns.

Some of the issues related to the size of the allotments being too small, lack of a primary production buffer and amenity impacts on the area.

The subject land has been in the Scalzi family, owners of nearby Gods Hill Winery, for 41 years and was earmarked for residential development as part of the State Government’s 30-Year Plan for Greater Adelaide, in 2010.

Mr Scalzi said he is willing to work with council to produce a development it is happy with and has already made some changes, such as reducing the number of allotments from 86 to 82, and agreeing to get a soil contamination test.

“I could have put it to the panel and they might accept it – it’s happened before, but I’m not about that; I’m about everybody being on the same page,” he said.

“I’m not here to fight people, I’m not a fighting person – I’m here to work with people.

“This is going to be something I’m going to be proud of and my family is going to be proud of.”

Mr Scalzi previously developed 60-allotments off of nearby Colonel Light Drive in the ‘80s, and said the current development is an extension of the existing township, on land that has never been productive for cropping.

He has plans to use the profits of the development to expand his winery operations, while water runoff will feed into his existing dams to be used for vine irrigation.

He said he wants people to realise he is a local with local interests and that he is open to conversation with anyone who has their concerns.

“Unless you know who I am you don’t know who is behind it,” he said.

“I know a lot of time developers only think of money, but I am not like that.

“Sure I have to try and get some money back because I’ve spent money, but I’m also here to do something for the town, to leave something behind.”

A date is yet to be set for an amended application to be presented to the Barossa Assessment Panel.