Carl Williams’ gangland killing rears its head in South Yarra development battle

MOST people object to apartment developments because of size or extra traffic. You won’t believe why this man doesn’t want one built next door to him.

Embargoed June 2 - South Yarra resident Andy Whittle has an unusual reason for fighting a proposed development near his home: the developer wants to build a crossover at the spot where his former neighbor, drug dealer Michael Marshall, was shot dead in Melbourne's gangland wars in 2003.

DISRESPECT for a victim of Melbourne’s bloody gangland wars is among the objections raised against a South Yarra apartment development.

Not only does Andy Whittle oppose the height, density and design of the “ultra-modern” three-storey building, he says it would trample on the memory of his neighbour Michael Ronald Marshall.

Amended plans include a driveway on to Joy St at the place where the 38-year-old hot dog vendor and drug dealer was gunned down in front of his five-year-old son on October 25, 2003, about 50m from Marshall’s house.

Mr Whittle said the murder came as a shock, as he had not known his neighbour had criminal links.

“His kid used to play with my kid,” Mr Whittle said. “My wife and our family had trauma counselling after it happened.”

Building a driveway at the site would be disrespectful to the dead, Mr Whittle argued.

“I don’t think it’s very considerate. There’s no memorial or anything but I don’t go there, I just avoid the area,” he said.

Marshall’s killing was carried out at the behest of underworld figure Carl Williams at a time when his reign of criminal terror was at its peak.

Marshall had just returned from a trip to the shops with his son to buy hot dog buns for his business.

It came four months after Williams had Jason Moran and Pasquale Barbaro shot dead in front of a group of children at an Essendon junior football clinic.

Mr Whittle has engaged a lawyer to fight the developer at VCAT, with the tribunal set to do a site inspection on June 10.

Stonnington Council is also fighting the proposal on the grounds it does not respect the neighbourhood character, is too big and would impact on neighbouring residents’ amenity.

The apartment block would replace a four-bedroom 19th century Victorian house and historic dairy with four townhouses over a basement carpark, at 29 Howitt St.

The plans were lodged just before the new General Residential Zone was imposed, which would have limited the size of the development.