Upper limits: Torquay’s retail and employment strategy adopted

THE Surf Coast Shire has modified its proposed final Torquay/Jan Juc Retail and Employment Land Strategy (RELS) to make a clearer reference to height controls in Torquay’s town centre, among other issues.

The RELS aims to preserve the surf culture and visitor economy, respect the primacy of Torquay’s town centre, reposition the Baines Crescent area as an Enterprise Precinct to support the needs of the entrepreneurial and creative sectors, and protect the integrity of the West Coast Business Park as the area’s most important industrial estate.

The council was originally set to adopt the RELS at their July 27 meeting but resolved to defer the issue until wording could be changed to clarify three issues: references to height controls in the town centre; the proposed review of planning controls at 2-4 Geelong Road and the corner of Bell Street; and references to the suitable location for a discount department store or large format retail should an application be received.

A majority of councillors adopted the updated and final version at their meeting on October 28.

The changes include deleting references to “multi-level” mixed use development and the specific height limits of two and three storeys in Torquay’s town centre, and instead adding in this paragraph: “There are also few redevelopment opportunities in the town centre; a situation exacerbated by built form requirements and the lack of vacant land”.

One of the strategy’s actions has been amended, and now encourages investigating the zone and overlay controls on land at 2-4 Geelong Road and 48-50 Bell Street to determine their appropriateness and address inconsistencies without increasing existing height limits.

“For example, land at 48-50 Bell Street is in the Commercial 1 Zone, however the site is subject to a Design and Development Overlay (DDO) which promotes residential land use while the balance of the C1Z land in the Bell Street Activity Centre is subject to a different DDO,” the strategy now notes.

There have also been minor changes to make it clear that a discount department store is not a priority for the RELS.

Cr Gary Allen supported the RELS but warned height limits could be affected by the yet-unknown outcome of the Surf Coast Distinctive Area and Landscape program.

“I do suspect that you can’t really control everything, and something will have to give in the future, and I suspect that may be height, and that may have to be in certain areas – not near the coastline, but further back in the community.”

Cr Paul Barker was the lone vote against adopting the strategy.

“No doubt it’s robust and it’s strong, but it’s too restrictive,” he said.

“It’s going to interfere with development, which will result in the stagnation of renewal of ageing buildings, and has design development overlays that I don’t think are consistent with the zoning.”