Shire officially says no to Esplanade apartments

THE plan to build an apartment complex on the Torquay waterfront has been officially knocked back by the Surf Coast Shire.

The planning permit for 86-92 The Esplanade has already been referred to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) because the shire failed to make a determination within the 60-day limit, but councillors unanimously resolved to refuse the permit at their meeting on Tuesday.

Liuzzi Property Group’s application to convert the blocks into 48 apartments and 72 underground car parks received 70 objections during its public exhibition period, and the council refused it on six grounds:

• The failure to respond to the existing and preferred neighbourhood character, relating to site coverage and landscaping, height, setbacks, spacing and fencing
• The failure to meet minimum garden area requirements
• The failure to satisfactorily respond to objectives and standards including setbacks, communal open space, deep soil areas, noise attenuation, accessibility, waste and recycling, functional layout and natural ventilation
• The failure to protect the amenity of adjoining properties by failing to comply with the objectives and standards relating to overlooking and overshadowing.
• The failure to provide a satisfactory level of internal amenity for future occupants due to excessive screening and obscure glazing and shadowing of open space, and
• The lack of a Cultural Heritage Management Plan.

Speaking in support of the motion to refuse, Cr Hodge defended the shire’s tardiness in determining the application.

“Sometimes, 60 days for such a big process is really hard to do because if you stop and ask a question, the clock keeps ticking, they’ve got to get back to you… so we’re going to work behind the scenes at how we can ensure we work a little bit quicker to try to make decisions such as this – which was a big red flag for the community – here.”

The main VCAT hearing on the permit will take place on October 31.

At the same meeting, councillors also resolved to update their policy on how the council calls in planning permit applications.