VCAT overrules council on Grovedale development

THE state’s planning umpire has approved a 41-lot infill development near Marshalltown Rail Station that the City of Greater Geelong council rejected due to overdevelopment concerns.

Villawood Homes gained approval in a Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) decision this month after it appealed a decision from the city’s planning committee to refuse a permit in May.

The recent process was the second time the developer has gone to the tribunal to get the go-ahead for its 98 Marshalltown Road project.

It had failed in a previous bid to build 42 properties at the 8,000sqm site due to concerns about loss of vegetation, before returning with a revised plan to keep more trees at the property.

City officers recommended approving the development earlier this year, which it said would help deliver much-needed supply of affordable housing in a suitable location near Marshalltown Station.

A majority of councillors sided with a group of community objectors against the plan, who argued the development was out of character for the neighbourhood.

VCAT member Kerrie Birtwistle dismissed that view that the proposal was an “overdevelopment” and noted the planned two-storey dwellings were below existing planning controls that permit three-storey buildings the area.

Ms Birtwistle said the Increased Housing Diversity Area, as identified by the city, was an appropriate place for a higher-density housing.

“The lands designation within an area for increased housing diversity means that it is firstly, a preferred location for medium density housing, and secondly, an area in which different… housing outcomes are sought.

“Just because the existing character on nearby lots is single dwellings, doesn’t mean this needs to be replicated on the review site.”

VCAT has approved the latest plans with a lengthy list of conditions relating to landscaping, tree protection, and construction guidelines.