Winbrook Court homeowners look to VCAT after Manningham Council greenlights development project

A DONCASTER man says homeowners in his quiet suburban street would have been happy for a townhouse development proposal to go ahead if planners had scaled back the project.

Bruce Nazemian, Nino Privitera, Frank Pavan, Christa Goretzki, Frank Falconer and David Grieve are angry the proposal wasn’t scaled back. Picture: Luis Enrique Ascui

A DONCASTER man says homeowners in his quiet suburban street would have been happy for a townhouse development proposal to go ahead if planners had scaled back the project.

But after nine multistorey dwellings were greenlighted by Manningham Council, Frank Pavan said Winbrook Court residents had no choice but to pursue the matter through VCAT.

The plans, submitted by developer Sky Hao, would see nine two and three-storey townhouses built on 1 and 2 Winbrook Court.

The council approved the plans with some amendments last month.

“We’re not against the development of the two blocks but we think perhaps four or five townhouses would be more appropriate rather than nine,” Mr Pavan said.

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The court runs off Saxon St behind Westfield Doncaster with some of the dwellings planned to front on to parkland in Saxon Reserve.

Mr Pavan, who’s lived in Winbrook for six years, said established homeowners were also worried the plans were not in keeping with the existing streetscape, and resultant traffic and parking chaos.

The council received 27 objections to the plans when it was advertised earlier in the year.

“The height is a problem — a part three-storey construction is very high. Plus they’ve planned flat rooves as opposed to the tiled, pitched rooves already in Winbrook Court,” he said.

“There won’t be enough visitor (parking) spaces and functionally (the width of the street is) inappropriate.”

Mr Pavan said the street was not a main road.

“It appears as though councillors and planners have OK’d this application because it complies with the planning scheme in a literal sense but we feel it should be put into appropriate context of a quiet, suburban street,” he said.

The council voted in favour of the development despite Cr Dot Haynes putting forward an unsuccessful alternative motion to knock it back.

“Taking down a house and putting three up is considered greed and a lack of consideration for neighbourhood character,” Cr Haynes said.

But Cr Paul McLeish said the proposal complied with planning scheme regulations.

“This is a reasonable outcome for this location. There are property values of $1.8 and $1.9 million here and one of the reasons is the opportunity for development,” he said.