Apartment development on The Esplanade proposed again

THE Liuzzi Property Group is having another go at getting a proposed three-storey apartment development in Torquay, rejected by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT), off the ground.
G2 Urban Planning lodged the planning application for 86-92 The Esplanade on behalf of Liuzzi Property Group on August 4 with the Surf Coast Shire council, and it is now on public exhibition.
The proposal, which spreads across four neighbouring titles, is a three-storey development comprising 34 dwellings, designed to present to The Esplanade as six buildings joined at ground level by a common central lobby.
On-site visitor parking is provided for 66 cars via a basement, including six visitor parking bays.
The council publicly exhibited an application from the Liuzzi Property Group for the construction of 48 residential apartments and 72 underground car parks at at the same site in April 2018.
However, all 70 of the submissions the shire received were against the development, on grounds including height, scale, bulk/design, landscaping/site coverage and neighbourhood character.
The developers then lodged an appeal with VCAT to review the permit based on the council’s failure to determine the application within the prescribed time.
In their new urban context report to the council, G2 Urban Planning notes the VCAT hearing and its finding that potential cultural heritage significance had not been satisfactorily addressed by the applicant.
“”It was directed that a Cultural Heritage Management Plan (CHMP) be prepared as part of any future Planning Permit Application. Since that time the Applicant has commissioned a full CHMP for the subject site. This has been prepared by Ecology and Heritage Partners.
“The CHMP concludes that ‘No new Aboriginal places were identified during the course of these assessments. No Aboriginal cultural heritage was identified in the activity area’.
“A Notice of Approval was issued on December 20, 2019 under Section 62 of the Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006 by the Wathaurung Aboriginal Corporation for the aforementioned CHMP. This now enables the Responsible Authority and or VCAT to consider and determine a Planning Permit Application for the development of the subject site.”
G2’s report states the four sites “give rise to a unique and exciting opportunity for greater accessibility to the foreshore”.
“It will also provide more diverse housing options including affordable housing and options for life-cycle stages and diverse socio-economic backgrounds than would otherwise be the case with the current development of a single dwelling on each of the lots.”