Port Phillip Council opposes apartments for historic Elwood street
Hundreds of people living on “one of Elwood’s most historic streets” are joining forces to fight a developer’s plans to bulldoze several homes and build a three-storey apartment block. Now, their battle has been boosted by a council heritage bid.
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A campaign to stop a proposed 19-unit apartment block in “one of Elwood’s most historic streets” has been boosted by a council heritage bid.
Developer McKimm wants to build a three-storey complex at 1, 3 and 5 Tiuna Grove, but will have the matter heard at VCAT on July 8 after Port Phillip Council knocked back its application earlier this year.
Councillors, after receiving a 1077-signature petition opposing plans to overdevelop “one of Elwood’s most historic streets”, this week agreed to ask the Planning Minister Richard Wynne to temporarily extend a heritage overlay to protect four homes in the street, including two on the proposed apartment site.
Lead petitioner Elvis De Jong said he welcomed the move.
Mr De Jong said he started the petition, which now has more than 1500 signatures, to let the council know “what the residents felt”.
“I’m going to have to look at this monolith every day,” he said.
“In all honesty I was hoping for a couple of hundred, but now in eight days we got over 1100.
“It was quite amazing and I’ve actually been blown away by the support.”
The council will push for the planning scheme to be amended to extend the heritage overlay on an interim basis to 3, 5, 7 and 15 Tiuna Grove.
Port Phillip Mayor Dick Gross said the interim heritage protection would ensure a demolition permit for the properties could not be approved ahead of VCAT’s decision.
Cr Gross said an independent heritage advisor had recommended the properties be included in the overlay.
“We hope that VCAT upholds (the) council’s refusal and that these properties will gain permanent heritage protection,” Cr Gross said.
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Councillor David Brand said there was “obviously doubt about the heritage status of those buildings”.
“It’s not for us right now to say what we think the right decision is but ... you have to act to preserve something because you can’t bring it back once it is gone,” Cr Brand said.
Developers McKimm did not respond for comment.
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