Hobsons Bay Leader has written anther article, this time about the resident sentiment about the proposed development. Below is the text in full…
If you view the Leader’s article on this page, you can place comments on the Leader’s website.
A NEW residents group has vowed to fight a “hideous” 46-apartment development in Newport that it claims will clog surrounding streets.
The Protect Newport group was formed after 82 objections were received by Hobsons Bay Council to a permit application for the former Newport Timber Yard in Paine St.
As previously reported by the Leader, the development (pictured) would include three-storey apartments, fronting Paine, Crawford and Latrobe streets and Armstrong Reserve. Much of the surrounding area is filled by inter-war and Edwardian homes.
Anthony Simmons, who started the website protectnewport.com, said residents were concerned about traffic congestion and the apartment’s design. “One aspect is the style,” Mr Simmons said.
“People are knocked out by how hideous it is or how it doesn’t fit in the area.
“The density is also really bothering people. The fact is these are a blocks of flats.”
The council knocked back the developer’s proposal, citing eight different reasons why it wouldn’t be appropriate.
Among these, according to the refusal notice, were: “the proposal will adversely affect the amenity of the area by way of overflow car parking in surrounding streets” and “the proposal is not consistent with heritage policies”.
But the matter will now be decided at planning tribunal VCAT after the proponent appealed the council’s ruling.
Proponent Peter Cahill, of Domain Hill Property, was overseas last week and unavailable for comment.
In August Mr Cahill told the Leader that the design was “architecturally striking” and “deliberately very contemporary and iconic”.
Mr Cahill said there would be high demand to live in the new development.
Note: The above text and images by Hobsons Bay Leader – copyright remains that of the respected owners.
Barbara and Mary have good points there.
Even if the style was sympathetic to the location, the increased number of residents and their transport needs is still a very real problem for this area.
Maybe this and other infill developments of a more modest nature could be accommodated by current roads and improvements to public transport, but this development as it stands and other high-density developments in Newport are likely to create an instant and increased overburden impact once completed.
It seems the proposed developments are getting uglier and uglier. There is no interest in the heritage of the area and the proposed increase in traffic is a disgrace. The amount of blocks of units being planned in the whole area does not take into account the fact that the roads are incapable of taking the traffic. The majority of roads are single lane. As for public transport it is almost impossible to get on a train – on the Werribee line the trains are already full at Hoppers Crossing so there is almost no hope of boarding a train at Newport..
How very sad to see an ‘industrial style’ design being used in this Newport location. It reminds me of a Johnson and Johnson building from 20 to 30 years ago in the USA. However, the substantive problem with this building proposal is that it does not take into account the many multi-apartment complexes that are being built in the Newport area. Until there is a holistic approach to planning that takes into account what is happening in the area on an overall basis with regard to schools, parking, public transport, and other amenities, we will continue to have unhappy residents who feel they are being ignored when the Councils or VCAT approve the plans.