Height of concern: Calls for no change to Torquay’s storey limits

THE future of central Torquay’s building heights remains high on the community’s agenda with Surf Coast Shire residents urging the council to maintain the status quo.

Councillors held a special council meeting via Zoom on Tuesday last week to hear from submitters to the draft Torquay-Jan Juc Retail and Employment Land Strategies (RELS), which was exhibited between February 25 and March 26 this year.

Submitters voiced their concerns at the meeting, while the Greater Torquay Alliance (GT Alliance) and 3228 Residents Association (3228RA) questioned the logic of the council proceeding with the RELS while the Surf Coast Distinctive Area and Landscape (DAL) project is under way.

Height limits in central Torquay are presently set at three storeys, or 10.5 metres, but the RELS states there are “very few redevelopment opportunities” in the town centre because of “a combination of a lack of vacant land and restrictive height limits over much of the centre”.

“Strong policy support for the town centre to remain the primary retail hub is needed, along with a pro-active approach to transition to a higher-density mixed-use environment.”

An officers’ reported presented to councillors stated building heights were raised 20 times – more than any other issue – in the 36 submissions.

3228RA secretary Sue O’Shanassy said the RELS should not be adopted in its current form.

“We believe it would be premature to adopt a policy that shows little regard to the DAL process, relies on population forecasts that we believe are not accurate, and makes transparency an imagination,” she said.

“This strategy ignores the extensive and expensive consultation that resulted in the final Torquay Town Centre Urban Design Framework plan and is attempting to overturn the council’s decision about building heights with vaguely-worded actions such as ‘review and revise height limits in the Torquay town centre’.

“We question why the strategy was exhibited last year, when it was finalised, and why the timeline for adoption has been pushed forward to May.”

GT Alliance president Andrew Cherubin agreed that the RELS should be put on hold. He said the council resolved in December 2017 to limit all buildings in the Gilbert Street area to three storeys, and the existing Torquay Town Centre Urban Design Framework refers to this resolution.

“The question is why this resolution wasn’t adopted, and why the current report, the RELS report, doesn’t refer to that resolution or even seem to consider it,” Mr Cherubin said.

“It’s our contention that higher buildings will not solve the issue of retail space in the Gilbert Street precinct.

“Of all the buildings built or proposed that are three storeys, we only have retail at the bottom and two storeys of residential. There’s nothing, if we go higher, that would prevent more residential and no extra retail or commercial use.”

Former councillor John Foss said: “What works in Torquay is not high, what works in Torquay is character”.

“If you’re serious about protecting the character of this town, you’ve basically got to leave things as they are.”

Photographer Anna Hurley said people were drawn to Torquay because of its light, space, and relaxed coastal lifestyle “which we could lose very quickly – it just takes one lifting of the restrictions, and we can’t take that back”.