State MPs in row over South Melbourne tower near Shrine of Remembrance

State MPs are embroiled in a fight over whether a proposed high-rise apartment tower would overshadow the Shrine of Remembrance for most of the year.

An artist’s impression of the proposed building in Dorcas St, South Melbourne.

A row over proper controls to protect the Shrine of Remembrance from overshadowing has broken out among state MPs.

The Opposition and a Sustainable Australia party MLC have seized on claims that a proposed 20-storey apartment and commercial tower in Dorcas St will overshadow the Shrine for many months of the year.

In its application to the Port Phillip Council, developer SM Dorcas Pty Ltd provided diagrams showing there would be no additional shadow across the Shrine and on its northern forecourt at April 22, June 22 (winter solstice) and September 22 (equinox).

Crowds at the Shrine of Remembrance for the 2019 Anzac Day Dawn Service.

However, objector and local resident Paul Smith said he used similar 3D modelling to show that the proposed building will put the Shrine in shadow for up to eight months of the year.

“The shadow will block out the sunlight on St Kilda Rd, and it’s going to put a shadow on the Shrine after work when people visit it and seek out the sun,” he said.

“The Port Phillip planning scheme mentions the Shrine hundreds of time in attempting to protect the Shrine’s open spaces and vistas for all current and future people. The council still needs to be encouraged to enforce those protections or else they are useless.”

Speaking for the project, Urbis planning director Maugan Bastone said that at every step of the planning process “we have been absolutely certain to ensure this project complies with the planning laws and regulations around shadowing of the Shrine”.

“The detailed plans and architectural modelling submitted to the council proves that the project fully complies with the shadowing controls that protect the Shrine,” he said.

It’s understood that the developer has questioned the accuracy of “photoshopped” images provided by Mr Smith that appear based on a Google image and not on survey material.

Opposition planning spokesman Tim Smith accused the Andrews Government of letting the council wind back planning controls for the Shrine that had been put in by previous Liberal administrations.

“Under no circumstances should a planning permit be approved for any building threatening to overshadow the Shrine of Remembrance,” he said.

Opposition planning spokesman Tim Smith.

Sustainable Australia party MLC Clifford Hayes said the government and the council needed to thoroughly scrutinise the proposal as “any overshadowing of the Shrine would be completely unacceptable and an insult to all of those who have served before us”.

Acting Planning Minister Lisa Neville said Labor had previously strengthened planning controls to protect the Shrine from overshadowing.

“The council must ensure this development meets these requirements and does not overshadow the Shrine,” she said.

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The government said it brought in mandatory controls to prohibit additional overshadowing of the Shrine and northern forecourt and the need to give notice to the Shrine Trustees, which had been given.

Port Phillip Mayor Dick Gross said the applicant’s shadow diagrams showed there would be no additional shadow caused across the Shrine at certain times in line with planning controls for the site.

“The permit application is yet to be assessed and a date is not yet scheduled for this application to be determined by council,” he said.

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