Blackburn Village Residents’ Group president Mike Taafe leads protest over 124-126 Blackburn Rd plans

A plan to cut up a large leafy block close to the Blackburn Lake precinct has been met with backlash from neighbours. A developer plans to replace a four-bedroom house with five double-storey townhouses.

The four-bedroom house could be replaced with 24 bedrooms across five houses. Photo: realestate.com.au

A plan to cut up a large leafy block close to the Blackburn Lake precinct and replace it with townhouses has met with backlash from neighbours.

They claim Blackburn’s bush character environment, which was covered by a Significant Landscape Overlay in the Whitehorse Planning Scheme, would be significantly diminished if the “overdevelopment” of the property was approved.

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The contentious application for 124-126 Blackburn Rd seeks to bulldoze the 1950s, single-storey four-bedroom brick home and clear 39 of the site’s 45 trees to make space for five double-storey townhouses.

Blackburn Village Residents' Group president Mike Taaffe said at least 80 people had objected to the plans. Photo: Wayne Taylor.

Three houses would have four bedrooms, while two would contain six bedrooms.

Two car spaces would be located under each house in a basement.

Buildings would cover 38 per cent of the 3290sq m lot, on top of the space for pools and driveways, leaving 57 per cent as garden area.

Blackburn Village Residents’ Group president Mike Taafe is at the forefront in the fight against the proposal.

The development would remove 39 of the site’s 45 trees. Photo: realestate.com.au

He said at least 80 people had submitted formal objections to Whitehorse Council since the proposal was advertised.

They’re concerned about the loss of tree canopy, open space, the traffic that will be generated, visual bulk and the impact on the area’s character and wildlife.

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Multiple objectors said they’d already noticed a reduction in birdlife because of nearby development.

Helen Taafe said it would increase traffic on an already busy road.

“Blackburn Rd is absolute chaos at the best of times,” she said.

After the property was sold for $2,350,000 in November 2015, the council refused an application to remove 48 trees on the site in June 2016.