Objectors ready for Supreme Court fight if massive West Footscray warehouse development wins approval

A RESIDENTS action group protesting a 177-warehouse development in West Footscray has vowed to take its fight to the Supreme Court if the state planning tribunal approves the proposal.

An artist's impression of CostaFox's 177-warehouse development proposed for 25 Indwe St, West Footscray.

A RESIDENTS action group protesting a 177-warehouse development in West Footscray has vowed to take their fight to the Supreme Court if the state planning tribunal approves the proposal.

Developer CostaFox wants to build the $26.4 million development — which would also include a childcare centre, a cafe, offices and retail shops — on an industrial-zoned, 72,400sq m site on the corner of Indwe St and Cala St.

But it faces fierce resistance from hundreds of people living in the area and now also Maribyrnong Council, which last night decided to fight the development at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

CostaFox is taking the proposal to the tribunal after the council did not make a decision on it within the statutory 60 days.

The design of some of the warehouses proposed in the West Footscray development.

Wefo Residents Group spokesman Julian Davis described the proposal as a “completely inappropriate warehouse development, which ultimately will not be used”.

Mr Davis and other objectors told the council it was unacceptable the developer wanted a waiver for the site to include only 491 car parking spaces, half the 981 required under planning rules.

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Mr Davis said the group would not stop its fight, even if the development got the green light from the tribunal.

“We will take it to the Supreme Court and we will seek injunctions to make sure this does not go ahead,” he said.

The development will also include a child care centre, a cafe, offices and retail shops.

CostaFox’s managing director Michael Fox said the development was aimed at attracting smaller industrial businesses and had been designed to have little amenity impact on the surrounding residents.

“Our warehouses are designed to look like townhouses,” Mr Fox said.

“When we first came across the site, we thought we could really do something special with it.”

Mayor Catherine Cumming praised the design of the development, but said she could not support such a reduction in parking spaces.

Cr Sarah Carter said it was an “ill-informed and misguided proposal” that was “lacking in imagination”.

“The uniformity of this is very stark,” Cr Carter said.