By Cam Lucadou-Wells
A five double-storey town-house proposal in Springvale has been shot down by the state’s planning tribunal.
Spektor Developments Pty Ltd had appealed to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal for a permit on a 772 square metre block at 19 Wattle Street.
There is currently a single-storey dwelling on the lot.
City of Greater Dandenong had also earlier refused a permit.
VCAT Senior Member John Bennett stated on 1 August that future development of the area was expected to become more intensive.
“However I consider the initial starting point of seeking to construct five double-storey dwellings is too ambitious given the shortcomings that I have identified.”
They included a “narrow” and “impracticable” living area in the rear dwelling, whose layout was “constrained, convoluted, unacceptable and unworthy of support”.
“It is symptomatic of a development that is trying to fit too many dwellings on the site.”
Other issues were a lack of a rear boundary setback to allow for landscaping and canopy trees.
Mr Bennett however also noted the current concept was “in principle, a reasonable proposition” under the General Residential Zone 3 controls and policies.
In the neighbourhood, single dwellings were making way for up to four or more dwellings a lot, Mr Bennett noted.
One example was a lot of four double-storey homes approved by Greater Dandenong Council.
The General Residential Zone 3 area was an incremental future change area that allows townhouses up to three storeys.
It provides an exemption from the minimum garden requirement, site coverage of up to 70 per cent and a smaller front setback of 5 metres.
But this was at tension with respecting existing neighbourhood character, of which “makes no sense”, Mr Bennett stated.
“Put simple, existing character is incompatible with the future character being encouraged or facilitated by the GRZ3.”
