Fired up over McKinnon ‘monstrosity’
1 Mar 11 @ 05:00pm by Jessica Bennett
This period house could be replaced by 25 apartments.
RESIDENTS are gearing up to fight the development of a three-storey “monstrosity” in McKinnon.
A 25-apartment complex with a 30-space basement car park is proposed for the corner of Nicholson and Lees streets, near McKinnon Rd. A substantial old house on the 1480sq m block would have to be demolished.
Glen Eira Council has received more than 80 objections.
One resident, Belinda Clark, said 70 objectors attended a community meeting about the development. She said they feared a significant rise in traffic in surrounding streets and a strain on local infrastructure. Residents were also concerned about impacts on their quality of life and privacy, as most homes in the street were only one or two storeys.
“This is inappropriate on all levels and will set a bad precedent for other developments in the area,” Ms Clark said. “We appreciate the space may be developed some day and we are not against progress, but not like this.”
McKinnon real estate agent Eric Cohen said developers were attacking Glen Eira suburbs. “They are coming in street by street and trying to set up high-density housing that is not suitable for this area,” Mr Cohen said. “Developers are not concerned about the repercussions for the neighbourhood. There needs to be some conscious decisions made about this by the developers and the council.”
Developer Peter Lewis said the application conformed with the requirements of Rescode. “I am of the view that McKinnon is nothing short of a great suburb and the design as prepared would, I believe, be nothing short of the best development that the area has ever seen,” Mr Lewis said.
The council will hold a planning conference this month before the application is considered at the April 5 council meeting.
Glen Eira Debates 
March 2, 2011 at 11:19 AM
Councillors must surely be getting sick to death of these little local uprisings. But do they get it? No way! The cause of all this is the failure of the Planning Scheme to actually do what it’s supposed to – that is PLAN!!!!! They had their chance to review it properly and to actually ask people what they wanted. This was ignored. Well it can no longer be ignored unless they want total revolution. People are fed up and sick to death of having their streets and neighbourhoods raped and pillaged by greedy developers. Get off your backsides and go back to the plan and rewrite the whole damn lot. That’s your job!
March 2, 2011 at 12:24 PM
Oh goodie, another opportunity for Hyams, Lipshitz and Tang discuss at Council Meetings the shortcomings of VCAT and how VCAT forces them to approve yet another inappropriate development despite residents objection and the negative impacts of the development.
Councillors, before presenting you next blame VCAT speech, would you mind outlining what efforts you as individual Councillor’s or Council as a whole or Council Administration have made to highlight and change the shortcomings of VCAT.
March 2, 2011 at 1:43 PM
Sensa, they’ve ‘advocated’ or made ‘representations’. That’s about it! What residents need to understand is that VCAT may be the final arbiter, but it does not set policy. That is what Council does in accordance with state requirements. It’s the policy that is totally stuffed. The Lipshutz, Hyams and now Pilling argument that we will allow 8 storeys instead of 10 and impose conditions so that we get something instead of nothing is absolute rubbish. Of course VCAT will allow ten storeys when all council will do is say 8 is okay by us! It’s a pathetic argument and ignores the real issue – the planning scheme and why there are no interim or permanent height controls as other councils have and why this council has no structure plans. Going even further I would have thought that it is the job of council to fight tooth and nail for its residents. But no – here at Glen Eira there is impediment after impediment and everything favours the developer. Fine if that’s what the people want. But at least be honest and up front about it.
March 2, 2011 at 9:13 PM
This is about the fourth major protest that has hit the news in the past 6 months or so. I think it says a lot about the way people are feeling and that they’ve had enough in the way that they’re being ridden roughshot over by both council and developers. Surely there is something that could, should and must be done to ensure that streets aren’t turned into high rise jungles. If that means revamping the entire Planning Scheme, then so be it. But let’s not pretend that the entire fault lies with VCAT and that council is blameless.
March 5, 2011 at 9:40 AM
From online Moorabbin Leader –
N. Kelly
writes:
Posted on
4 Mar 11 at 02:53pm
4 House Blocks were bought up in our main street by an X council member now I am surrounded by 1 story high Units looking into my yard… NO PRIVACY NO SKY… parking is a problem because most tents have a 2 car policy, so they park in our street. What next meter parking in our streets because of all these units… and the argument that go on its amazing….. oakleigh south was a nice place and safe place N. Kelly
March 7, 2011 at 11:02 PM
Yes we need an urgent stop to this random development!!! Well Caulfield is now filled with double storey beach house material box-like temporary constructions instead of the early Edwardian weatherboard and solid brick housing with a little garden around them. McKinnon has a charm about it in the “uniformity of late Edwardian and post Edwardian villas which fit together very homogeniously currently”
If council won’t protect the area which is very special then could it be classified by the National Trust or wehoever saved the Gascoine in East Malvern?
We need to tell our council loud and clear that it is over developing at a far greater rate than even the previous labour government expected. The reason seems to be so as the rate payment barrel is larger and the services provided iehter deminish or remain the same the only cost is a drop in our standard of living. The recent flooding an example of budgets being manipulated .. less work carried out in the last few years… naturally there was a silt build up and oh what a surprise unprecedented household flooding. This seemed like the answer one would expect to such an equation and guess what the Glen Eira City advertised for a Drain Cleanning Contractor in the Age 5 March 2011.
It seems to be time for the revolution of Glen Eira???