Portarlington retirement village seeks permit change

A RECENTLY constructed Portarlington retirement village is seeking a change to its planning permit that would allow different street access to new homes.

Portarlington Lifestyle Properties at 23-31 Mercer Street is applying to amend its permit to build a new access point to Oxley Street, which borders the eastern boundary of the site.

A permit issued in 2009 included a condition that forced developers to close access points at Oxley Street and Levanto Street to the north with vehicle bollards that could be removed in case of an emergency.

A retirement village with 108 units has since been constructed and occupies the land.

A traffic consultant’s report provided as part of the application found there had been no serious accidents at Mercer or Oxley streets in the past five years.

A pneumatic tube count conducted in Oxley Street during November 2021 also found the street carried just over 100 vehicles per day.

Planning reports stated the changes would only add about a dozen extra vehicle movements during morning and afternoon peaks each day.

“This is a negligible increase in traffic volume that would not be discernible to an observer in our view.

“Noting this and the low existing traffic volumes along Oxley Street, it is expected that the site generated traffic using Oxley Street access point can be readily accommodated along Oxley Street and the surrounding road network without creating any adverse traffic safety or operational impacts.”

The City of greater Geelong is advertising the proposed change until September 2.