Below are two items from this week’s Caulfield and Moorabbin Leader newspapers. Readers are urged to compare and contrast the comments by the Bayside councillor versus the comments by Lipshutz. Draw your own conclusions.

 Church plan cut to size
Fears remain high for impact on area

SCALING back a ‘‘ monstrous’’ development in Elsternwick has done little to quell residents’ fears of traffic and congestion chaos.

Glen Eira councillors voted to allow Contour Consultants to develop t he site at 233-247 Glenhuntly Rd and the historic church at 12 Ripon Grove.

The original plan for a three-to 10-storey building with seven shops and 130 apartments was reduced to eight storeys and 95 apartments at last Tuesday’s council meeting.

Plans to convert the church into 21 apartments were reduced to 18.

Elsternwick resident Kirsten Wright said she was disappointed.

‘‘It’s still too high,’’ Ms Wright said. ‘‘It will still dominate the area and the impact on traffic and public transport will still be huge.’’ The plans have drawn 80 objections and 20 letters of support, while they have been dubbed a ‘‘planning fiasco’’ in an online community forum, Glen Eira Debates.

Many residents also fear overcrowding, loss of privacy, and the building blocking views and sunlight (‘‘Living in high anxiety,’’ Leader, September 6). Mayor Steven Tang and Cr Oscar Lobo voted against the amendment, both wanting to reduce the building’s height further.

Cr Michael Lipshutz said the State Government had indicated Elsternwick was a high diversity housing area, with its proximity to public transport.

‘‘ Having council reject it or knock it back will no doubt create clapping in the public gallery,’’ he said.

‘‘But they’ll not be happy when VCAT comes along and says take it as it was.’’

Contour Consultants did not respond to our calls before deadline.

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‘Biggest ever’ battle hots up

BAYSIDE Council will spend up to $100,000 fighting a proposal for a massive development on Cheltenham’s border at the state planning tribunal. Around 120 residents packed the council chambers last Tuesday to oppose the area’s biggest-ever proposed development. The plan to build nearly 500 dwellings, with 900 car spaces, a medical centre, and serviced hotel on a five-block Bay Rd site attracted 1103 objections and one letter of support.

Developer Magnus Floden took the application to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal after the council did not make a decision within the prescribed time.

Councillor Alex del Porto said the application’s huge size, complexity and number of objections made it virtually impossible to process within the allocated 60 days. Councillor James Long said the council needed to fight the $200 million-plus plan with all its might. ‘‘(The developers’) legal counsel will fight this as if it was a war because profit is the motive,’’ he said.

Developer Mr Floden did not return the Leader’s phone calls.