Greater Geelong Council made its views clear on the proposed development at 57-59 The Parade, Ocean Grove, with councillors unanimously rejecting the developers’ application for a planning permit at last Thursday’s planning meeting.
The contentious development, a three-storey, 16 unit complex that was repeatedly described at the meeting by councillors, city officers and objectors alike as “monolithic”, was refused a planning permit on several grounds.
Those grounds included failing to adhere to reasonable sharing of views, standards of neighbourhood character, the side and rear setbacks from boundaries and the density, mass and scale of the development.
The application will now be heard by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) in late April.
Cr Ron Nelson, who moved the motion to recommend the refusal, said while the proposal met most of the requirements of the City’s policies, it was inappropriate for the location.
“(The proposed development) meets our policy regulations, however I don’t believe it’s within neighbourhood character,” Cr Nelson said.
“170 objections tells me that the community doesn’t want it. The amount of people who are here tonight, it’s obvious you all love where you live.
“There are inappropriate developments popping up everywhere because they meet the guidelines, so I think we as a group probably need to change that.”
Objector Vicki Nolan, who argued her views from her property to the rear of 57-59 The Parade would be unreasonably obstructed by the development, said allowing the development would have set a dangerous precedent for Ocean Grove.
“(This decision is) important for Ocean Grove so that other developers don’t think it’s a free-for-all,” Ms Nolan said.
“We were all concerned that it would set a precedent. If they allow this over two blocks, then some other developer buys three or four blocks in another quiet side street.
“We’re not against development. We’ve done a development ourselves, two on a block. Just tone it down a bit.”
Beau O’Brien, director for UXD Group which represents the consortium of developers, said Council’s decision was “expected”.
“I think we knew, not only prior to that meeting, but when we had the volume of objections back in mid-last year,” he said.
“It was probably expected that Councillors were going to side with the community, not the planning scheme.”
Mr O’Brien said the developers were confident VCAT would approve the development, as three of the five grounds of refusal presented by City officers were based on “subjective” standards and the City’s own urban design department had ticked off on the details of the proposal.
“When you go to their delegate’s report, they actually say we comply,” he said.
“So we’re confident because of that, and because we had five expert urban designers who are all willing to support it at VCAT.
“We don’t think there’s a basis not to support this on the planning scheme.”
