Food Star Knox: Go ahead to build eight-storey apartment block

RETIREMENT village residents fear they will be left in the dark after plans were approved for an eight-storey apartment block that will tower over their units.

Bill Cook (centre) with fellow residents Joan and Brian Douds, Marion Adams, Chris Cook and Rosemary Evans. They are angry about the decision to give the tower the go ahead. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

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RETIREMENT village residents fear they will be left in the dark after plans were approved for an eight-storey apartment block that will tower over their units.

The 94-apartment tower — three storeys higher than the recommended limit — will be built on the former Food Star site in Wantirna South.

Despite 88 objections, including concerns the building was too high, Knox Council urban design consultants were satisfied the design was of “high architectural merit” so could be increased above the five-storey limit.

HAVE YOUR SAY: What do you think of the decision to give the go-ahead for the tower? Tell us below.

The council’s report on the application said the top three levels would be “recessed” and not visible from the street.

The report also said the development, from applicant Synergy Knox, would “contribute positively to the built environment, creating an identifiable and distinctive element to a prominent corner site”.

But residents from the Knox Village retirement complex to the immediate west of the site are angry the project has been given the go ahead.

According to a council report, the apartment block “would overshadow some of the retirement village dwellings in the morning”.

Marion Adams says the amount of high-rise buildings around Knox makes it look more like Singapore than Australia. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

But the village would “not be impacted for the remainder of the day”, the report said.

One retirement village resident told a recent council meeting he had emailed all councillors, asking them to visit and hear concerns, but no one did.

Fellow resident Bill Cook and his wife Christina live on the fence line of the Food Star site, directly behind the restaurant.

Mr Cook told Leader the new building would block out the sun, and believed a four-storey building was more appropriate.

Another resident, Marion Adams, told Leader the apartment block would impact greatly on residents.

“It’s going to play a really big part in keeping the residents in the dark so to speak; they won’t get any sun,” Ms Adams said.

“Council really don’t seem to care about what the effect will be on the residents in this village who really can’t go anywhere else.”

She said other apartment buildings in the area looked horrible and tenants often had their washing hanging out on balconies.

“I don’t know whether I’m in Singapore or Australia — it’s horrible,” Ms Adams said.

She said it would also create traffic and parking problems in Tyner Rd, and feared for the safety of students crossing to get to St Andrews Christian School.

St Andrews Christian College Greg Waterhouse said the school had concerns about increased traffic congestion and parking issues in Tyner Rd the development would brings.

But he said the council had told them they would put a crossing, manned by a lollipop supervisor, on Tyner Rd, to help students safely cross the road

Mr Waterhouse said this would be established at the start of next term.

“It’s a great relief to us and we’re very grateful.”

At the council meeting, councillors Nicole Seymour and Lisa Cooper voiced concerns.

Cr Cooper said she couldn’t support the plan because so many residents opposed it.

Cr Seymour said it was overdevelopment and set an unwelcome precedent for the rest of Knox Central.

“It does look better than Kubix (on the corner of Stud Rd and Burwood Highway), absolutely, (but) that’s not difficult,” Cr Seymour said.

She said the proposed single-bedroom dwellings looked like “dog boxes”.

But Cr Jake Keogh said the site was in an area where development was encouraged.

Mayor Darren Pearce said he felt sorry for residents “if they felt their amenity had been impacted”, but the Knox Central area had been designated for major redevelopment.

The development — which also includes a restaurant, office and gym — is on the front of the site, in the Knox Central activity centre.

A separate application has been submitted to build 28 townhouses on the rear of the site, but the council hasn’t decided on it yet.

Synergy Knox could not be reached for comment.