$46.8 million apartment complex for Aldinga Beach awaiting green light

DEVELOPERS are awaiting the green light for a $46.8 million six-storey apartment complex in the south — despite planning rules only allowing for three storeys in the region.

An artist’s impression of the proposed apartment complex for Aldinga Beach.

THE developer of a multi-million dollar apartment complex earmarked for Aldinga Beach expects to know the project’s fate within the next two months.

Winwest applied to the State Planning Commission – previously known as the Development Assessment Commission – to build four buildings on the corner of Rowley and Aldinga Beach roads in June.

Three of the buildings in the $46.8 million development, called Latitude, would be four storeys high and the other six storeys high – all across from Aldinga Shopping Centre.

They would each have shops and consulting rooms on the ground floor, with a total of 70 retirement units and apartments above, and basement carparking.

A two-week public consultation period on the project closes today.

A Winwest spokesman said commission staff would collate the feedback and potentially ask for more detail before a final report was submitted to the panel for a decision.

“We’ll still be a month away from a decision,” the spokesman said.

“I’m optimistic (that) by mid-October we’ll have a pretty good understanding of where we’re at.”

However more than 12 people who attended public meeting on Saturday have vowed to fight to block the complex, on the grounds it does not suit the area, is too high, will cause traffic chaos and is not in keeping with the area’s development rules.

The area is zoned to allow for buildings up to three storeys high.

Meeting organiser Chelle, who would not give her last name, said if approved, the development would set a precendent for more high-rise apartment buildings.

“It will be the thin edge of the sword and we will find high-rise apartments popping up all over this beautiful area,” Chelle said.

Aldinga Beach resident Yvonne Wenham, who attended the meeting, said it was important residents banded together to oppose the development. “People aren’t saying ‘let’s not have the development’ they are saying ‘let’s have development that sticks with the nature and character of the district’,” Ms Wenham said.