But consultants representing the applicant, a group of south-east development companies known as Maclaw No. 10 Pty Ltd, say they will resubmit the application, accusing Casey Council of playing politics.

Despite the bad publicity surrounding methane gas migrating to the nearby Brookland Greens estate - the subject of a compensation claim against the council - Maclaw wants its four-hectare site at 45 Stevensons Road rezoned from farming to residential.

Consultant Rud Lindley said the land should not be rezoned if the gas problem was not overcome. "But if we can put a man on the moon, we can fix that [problem]. It's about people's ongoing commitment to do it."

The application was withdrawn before being considered by a council planning committee. A council officer's report had advised against granting the application due to factors including the site abutting the northern boundary of the former tip.

KLM Spatial Consultants, representing Maclaw, is quoted in the report as saying there was an "extremely high probability" the council's extensive remediation works had solved the problem and its client was happy to wait for the request to be considered after further tests in April.

But the officer responded in the report: "While council remains optimistic that the newly constructed deep wall barrier will provide a long-term solution for preventing the migration of methane beyond the former landfill site, the results of monitoring undertaken in April will only provide a guide to the efficacy of these remediation works.

"Even if the results were positive, it would not be possible to conclude that the issue had been solved as ongoing monitoring and management may be required for as long as the site has the potential to produce methane [up to 20 years]."

Mr Lindley said the proposal was withdrawn as there was not enough time to organise an adjournment after receiving a copy of the officer's evaluation the same day.