It came as council granted a permit to establish a retail shop in York St, Sale adjacent to Lazarro Bros. Fruiterers.

The exact nature of the shop, located in a mixed use zone, has not been determined, but the developer has suggested it was likely to complement Lazarros, such as a butcher, deli or fishmonger.

Council passed the application with a range of conditions relating to landscaping, car parking and signage.

While not against this particular development, councillor Leo O'Brien told Wednesday's council meeting he was concerned conditions placed on planning permits were becoming "very onerous''.

"We do need to have some terms and conditions, I don't certainly want to see development go willy-nilly and we end up with anything and everything that comes along.

"But when we start to stipulate about shrubbery and lawns and car park and what they're constructed of, I think we start to go a little over the top,'' he said.

Cr Malcolm Hole said such conditions could lead developers to question whether they wanted to do business in Wellington.

Cr Jeff Amos said the conditions could attract development.

"Quite often developers actually prefer to move into something that's a modern city with some sort of landscaping, some sort of beautification rather than the old fashioned (concrete) jungle that we see in some areas,'' he said.

For more, read Friday's Gippsland Times.