By Jena Carr
A community group continues to fight against a potential development in Portarlington ahead of a VCAT case conference in June.
The City of Greater Geelong’s Planning Committee opposed the permit application by 49 Newcombe Street Pty Ltd during its May 31 meeting, with the developer now taking the case to VCAT.
VCAT will hold a compulsory conference on the developer’s application for a proposed five-story building at 49 Newcombe Street on June 23 and a case hearing from August 30 to September 3.
The building site is close to 940.7 metres-squared and would include ten apartments with two retail shops.
Portarlington Community Association president Geoff Fary said community members were still unhappy with the proposed development despite changing the design and application.
“This has been a long running and controversial issue in our little coastal town,” he said.
“There’s been some alterations to the design, but it’s still basically a five-level apartment block, which would, in the view of many, block out the vistas from the main street to the bay.”
Mr Fary said the association’s main objection to the development was the height and bulk of the building, which would affect the “north facing views from the main street down to the bay”.
He also said the community wasn’t “opposed to development and growth” and would like to compromise with the developer.
“There needs to be an acceptable alternative arrived at that meets the community’s expectations, but that doesn’t see the landowner out of pocket either,” he said.
“We would really like for all parties to come to an arrangement whereby that land could return to public ownership and the developer would be appropriately compensated.”
Spiire Property and Infrastructure Consultants senior associate Roger Munn spoke on behalf of the 49 Newcombe Street application during the May Planning Committee meeting.
Mr Munn said the application had undergone “significant redesigns and consultations”.
“We acknowledge the uniqueness of this site and the sensitive coastal interface,” he said.
“The Planning Committee accepted that the loss of the current clear view to the bay is a reasonable expectation for the redevelopment of this commercial land within the town’s centre.”
