Maribyrnong City Council knock back Walter Street development

Ecstatic Maribyrnong residents have won a major battle over a developer after a proposed housing development was refused. See the details here.

A render of the proposed development for 66 Walter St Seddon. Picture: Supplied

Ecstatic Seddon residents are celebrating after they successfully fought off an “alarming” proposed housing development.

The proposal would have seen the Victorian-style weatherboard house at 66 Walter St demolished to make way for a three-storey featuring three bedrooms, a reading room as well as a kitchen and a second kitchen on the second floor.

The development was expected to cost $500,000 to fund its transformation.

The house at 66 Walter St in Seddon. Picture: Supplied

The application received 24 submissions against from the community, with complaints including how the development would impact neighbourhood character, amenity, parking and construction impacts.

Neighbour Mara Rados said she had been in the “fight of my life and my community” in opposing the proposal.

“I want to make it clear we are not opposed to development at 66 Walter St, what we are opposed to is the development as it stands, the developer is stream rolling all of us,’’ she said.

“The blatant disregard of the existing infrastructure flies in the face of everyone else who has been playing by the rules.”

The council’s delegated development committee fielded several questions relating to the proposal including its “excessive height” and the capability for the development to house electric vehicles.

Other concerns included how the three-storey building would “overshadow” the surrounding area and how the reduction in carparking would impact nearby streets.

SongBowden Planning’s Daniel Bowden said he acknowledged the objectors concerns but “respectfully disagreed” believing it was an “acceptable planning outcome”.

It was ultimately refused under a motion by Mayor Sarah Carter, who labelled some aspects of the development as “alarming”.

“It is a great design but it is an overdevelopment of the site,” she said.

“It does not respect the neighbourhood character … there are enough outcomes of noncompliance that signal this is a poor planning outcome, it’s an overdevelopment of the site.”