By CASEY NEILL
THIRTY new units will ease demand for housing in Springvale, according to two Greater Dandenong councillors.
Councillor Loi Truong supported the 29 three-storey and one double storey units at 39 to 45 Sandown Road, Springvale, at the 26 October council meeting.
“In Springvale, the accommodation need is very high,” he said.
But Cr Matthew Kirwan with Cr Peter Brown voted against the proposal, with concerns about allowing a one-space visitor parking shortfall.
“With the visitor parking requirements controlled by the State Government inadequate as they are, I can’t support this allowed reduction, even if it is just one,” he said.
“For a 30 dwelling development – 10 of them three bedroom – five visitor car spaces are not enough.
“While it may be near a train station, visitors are not likely to come just along a train line or up and down Springvale Road for that matter.
“They can come from anywhere and usually by car in a suburban location – Greater Dandenong is not the inner city.”
Cr Kirwan said on-street car parking would not help.
“This is an area where density is expected to increase and put pressure on on-street car parking,” he said.
“It is also near a train station and a busy activity centre.”
Cr Kirwan also objected to providing first floor balconies to meet secluded open space requirements.
“These are not apartments – they are townhouses – and thus providing ground level secluded open space is reasonable to be expected,” he said.
Cr Youhorn Chea said residents would likely work in the city and wouldn’t need a car because of easy public transport access.
He said the application complied with regulations.
“I haven’t seen anything wrong,“ he said.
“We need high-density housing in Springvale.”
Cr Chea voted in favour of the application alongside Crs Truong, Heang Tak, Jim Memeti, Maria Sampey and John Kelly.
