Canterbury residents, Boroondara Council to battle development next to mega mansion at VCAT
Canterbury residents rejoiced when an application for a massive development next to a sprawling mega mansion was rejected by Boroondara Council in December. But they will have to gear up for battle again after the developer appealed the decision.
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A developer is refusing to back down on its bid to build a medical and childcare centre next to one of Melbourne’s most expensive homes, Shrublands, which has a price guide of $42-46 million
Boroondara Council vetoed the application for a seven-day medical centre and three-storey, 170-place childcare centre in December at 14 Balwyn Rd, Canterbury, much to the delight of neighbours.
But the developer has appealed and now the council will have to defend its decision at the tribunal.
Save Balwyn Rd spokeswoman Jillian Hood said: “It is an overdevelopment of that site,”
“We accept that it’s probably inevitable that we are going to have a commercial site in a residential area, but the most important part is the overdevelopment.”
Mrs Hood said the biggest issue would be the “horrendous” increase in traffic.
“Traffic is already a major concern (on Balwyn Rd) — it is already at standstill in peak hours,” she said.
“We are also worried about rat runs to avoid the Balwyn Rd intersection and it will be hard to find a part for those using the medical centre and childcare centre.
“They would then probably park in side streets and run through the gridlocked traffic.”
She said it was “fantastic” when the council rejected the application and called on it to continue its opposition at the tribunal.
Boroondara city planning director Shiran Wickramasinghe said the council refused the application based on “concerns regarding the scale and intensity of the proposal impacting on neighbourhood character, amenity of neighbours and the heritage significance of the building”.
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The case is listed for a mediation session on April 16 before, if not settled, a merits hearing in June.
The council received 52 objections to the proposal.