PROTECT NEWPORT

Traffic trouble … Newport resident Philip Henkil is concerned about traffic and the heritage value of a proposed 46-apartment block around the corner from his house. 51684

“The design is ultra-modern and it’s being placed in a heritage precinct,” he said.

“There’s no compatibility with this ultra-modern design and the precinct.”

He said there were also concerns about parking if there was an influx of residents.

There are 46 parking spaces provided for in the proposal, which includes 18 pit stackers.

But Mr Henkil said this wasn’t enough to cater for apartments that serviced more than one tenant.

“Most families, there’s two cars in this family and there’s going to be three soon, so that’s going to mean people will be parking in the streets,” he said.

He said there were concerns the lack of parking would have a direct impact on traffic considering the size of the streets.

“All of my neighbours will be struggling to find a car park, most of them have on-street parking, very few have provision for off-street, they have no alternative,” he said.

“With 46 units going up on what is really a small block, that’s probably the most significant issue.”

Eddie Zagami, who prepared the town planning submission on behalf of Peter Cahill at Domain Hill Property Group, said he had received an anonymous phone call from a concerned resident.

“He was not disclosing who he was or where he was from, he wanted me to guarantee that when he leaves his property, he would still be able to park in front of his house,” he said.

Mr Zagami said there were 29 two-bedroom apartments and 17 one-bedroom apartments in the proposal. He said according to the traffic report, only one car space was required for each.

“There are three very long street frontages, roads are made for parking on and driving on,” he said.

“Just as the local residents are entitled to park in front of their property.”

He said that from a planning perspective, three storeys on the site would not impact on adjoining properties, were therefore appropriate andhad been deemed appropriate by a heritage consultant.

He said the development was also in line with Melbourne 2030 and Melbourne @ 5 million, with the need for higher density housing to cater for the increasing population without expanding Melbourne’s border.

“This is the sort of development which provides a good entry point to stay and live in the area. Not everyone wants a single house on a single lot, a lot of people do want to live in apartments, and that’s what’s happening metropolitan wide. I think it’s a very good opportunity,” he said.

Mr Henkil said he would be objecting and would offer help to other residents who wanted help with lodging submissions.

To contact Mr Henkil call 9391 5236.
Note: The above text and images by Star (Williamstown, Altona, Laverton) – copyright remains that of the respected owners.