Battle over apartments at 129-133 Burwood Hwy returns

ANOTHER fight over a developer trying to build apartments on the corner of Burwood Highway and Roslyn St is on the horizon, with 126 objections already filed.

ANOTHER battle over a proposed apartment block on the corner of Burwood Highway and Roslyn St looms.

Burwood neighbours are campaigning against Imax Land’s application to build 50 apartments at 129-133 Burwood Hwy, after the developer’s first proposal was last year rejected by the council, residents and VCAT.

One and twenty six objections have been submitted to Whitehorse Council, which is yet to make a decision on the plans, filed in April.

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It proposes a 19.85m building ranging from five to six storeys on the sloping site, plus a basement to allow for 73 carparks.

An architectural render as viewed from Burwood Highway of the proposed apartments.

Belinda Stopar, whose property shares two borders with the site, said three groups of neighbours had been letterboxing the area, urging residents to object to the building. “It’s a big talking point in the neighbourhood,” she said. “The whole neighbourhood is aghast.”

“All the residents oppose what they consider is still an excessive overdevelopment.”

The application is an amended version of one that proposed 60 apartments in December, 2016. The council received 99 objections to it, and both the council and the tribunal would not issue a permit.

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An architectural render of the view of the proposed apartments from Roslyn St.

The council said it proposed “excessive building height, bulk and scale” for the site’s situation within both a Residential Growth Zone and Burwood Village Neighbourhood Activity Centre. The tribunal ruled “redevelopment of the site into a multistorey apartment building” aligned with the change expected in these zones, but the design was not site responsive.

The new plan proposes changes to limit the effect on the three one-storey houses bordering the site, such as creating the illusion the building is four storeys from one property’s view.

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But neighbours aren’t convinced.

“It’s pretty much the same as the first plan,” Ms Stopar said.

She said her and fellow residents were “absolutely” prepared to return to the tribunal to fight the plans.