By Rachael Dexter
At least two major high-rise developments along Frankston’s foreshore have been thrown into doubt after a surprise last-minute intervention by the state’s planning minister, a move celebrated by community activists and condemned by one property developer.
According to a planning amendment gazetted by the Victorian government on Wednesday morning, Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny has applied an interim design and development overlay to the area bordered by Nepean Highway, Kananook Creek Boulevard and Beach and Wells streets in Frankston – limiting buildings to a maximum height of three storeys.
An aerial view of the land between Nepean Highway and Kananook Creek where at least two high-rise developments were slated to go.Credit: Eddie Jim
The overlay is temporary and will expire on October 27. It represents a major intervention from the minister in a long-running row over height limits along the stretch of commercial land.
The move comes amid two major Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal disputes that were to decide the fate of proposed 14- and 16-storey high-end apartment buildings that would stand side by side and overlook Kananook Creek and Frankston Beach from Nepean Highway.
The minister’s dramatic intervention emerged on Wednesday – an hour into the first day of the VCAT hearing into the 16-storey building, prompting its adjournment.
Community activists involved in the Stop the Great Wall of Frankston campaign said the tower proposals were a departure from historical council plans that in 2005 set a 26-metre height limit for building in the Kananook Creek precinct and directed higher apartment buildings east around the train station.
Since then, Frankston Council has moved to drop mandatory height limits for the Kananook Creek area in favour of “preferred” height limits that developers can exceed with council consent. Campaigners believe approving mid- and high-rise buildings on the strip would block the rest of the city from the waterfront and create an irreversible “cool-climate Surfers Paradise”.
The group presented Kilkenny with a 6000-signature petition to overrule Frankston Council’s powers and confirmed it had secured a meeting with her last Friday.
On Wednesday, Jenny Warfe, spokeswoman for the Stop the Great Wall Campaign, said community activists were overjoyed by the decision.
“Common sense and reason has prevailed,” she said. “The overlay gives much greater protection – it’s mandatory. All this rubbish about preferred heights is not good enough.”
But the developer of 446-450 Nepean Highway, Urban DC founder Danny Ciarma, said the minister’s intervention was “suspicious”, “a slap in the face” and would “undermine investment confidence in the whole state, not just Frankston”. “She’s unsettled the whole investment fraternity, which is going to further exacerbate the whole undersupply issue that we face.”
Kilkenny is also the state MP for Carrum, the neighbouring seat to Frankston, which takes in some parts of wider Frankston but not the waterfront area.
“It is very clear to me that Sonya bowed to her voters as a local member of the area and put her local constituents in front of and before the greater planning policies of the state,” Ciarma said.
Premier Daniels Andrews has flagged a housing and planning reform package, expected within the next two months, that is widely expected to include greater state government planning controls and a smaller role for councils.
Urban DC has already taken deposits for pre-sales on about 30 per cent of its proposed 107-apartment development called Harbour. Frankston Council granted approval for the development last November, but it has been fought by residents in VCAT for the past two weeks amid overshadowing concerns.
No decision had been made yet by VCAT, and Ciarma said he was unsure what the overlay would mean for the decision.
“I’ve spent the last 18 months working with council and the council planners very closely in formulating a design that meets the proposed structure plan in every way,” he said.
“It’s not for some disgruntled local NIMBYs to put their thoughts forward and have their wishes granted to the detriment of the greater good.”
The VCAT hearing on Wednesday morning, which involved an application for the 16-storey building by developer Pace, was halted when the tribunal was informed of the ministerial declaration. Pace has been contacted for response.
It has been adjourned at least until the interim measures expire in late October.
A spokesman for Kilkenny said the decision to implement the overlay came after Frankston City Council had requested authorisation for its new Metropolitan Activity Centre Structure Plan – a guiding document that did not include mandatory height limits for the creek area.
“The minister for planning has applied a planning control to one part of the Frankston activity centre which currently does not have any height or design controls in place,” he said.
“The interim controls will protect this part of Frankston while we further consider the council’s request.”
Frankston City Council was approached for response.
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