On Wednesday,Jenny Warfe,spokeswoman for the Stop the Great Wall Campaign,said community activists were overjoyed by the decision.
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“Common sense and reason has prevailed,” she said. “The overlay gives much greater protection – it’s mandatory. All this rubbish about preferred heights is not good enough.”
But the developer of 446-450 Nepean Highway,Urban DC founder Danny Ciarma,said the minister’s intervention was “suspicious”,“a slap in the face” and would “undermine investment confidence in the whole state,not just Frankston”. “She’s unsettled the whole investment fraternity,which is going to further exacerbate the whole undersupply issue that we face.”
Kilkenny is also the state MP for Carrum,the neighbouring seat to Frankston,which takes in some parts of wider Frankston but not the waterfront area.
“It is very clear to me that Sonya bowed to her voters as a local member of the area and put her local constituents in front of and before the greater planning policies of the state,” Ciarma said.
Premier Daniels Andrews has flaggeda housing and planning reform package,expected within the next two months,that is widely expected to include greater state government planning controls and a smaller role for councils.
Urban DC has already taken deposits for pre-sales on about 30 per cent of its proposed 107-apartment development called Harbour. Frankston Council granted approval for the development last November,but it has been fought by residents in VCAT for the past two weeks amid overshadowing concerns.
No decision had been made yet by VCAT,and Ciarma said he was unsure what the overlay would mean for the decision.
“I’ve spent the last 18 months working with council and the council planners very closely in formulating a design that meets the proposed structure plan in every way,” he said.
“It’s not for some disgruntled local NIMBYs to put their thoughts forward and have their wishes granted to the detriment of the greater good.”
The VCAT hearing on Wednesday morning,which involved an application for the 16-storey building by developer Pace,was halted when the tribunal was informed of the ministerial declaration. Pace has been contacted for response.
It has been adjourned at least until the interim measures expire in late October.
A spokesman for Kilkenny said the decision to implement the overlay came after Frankston City Council had requested authorisation for its new Metropolitan Activity Centre Structure Plan – a guiding document that did not include mandatory height limits for the creek area.
“The minister for planning has applied a planning control to one part of the Frankston activity centre which currently does not have any height or design controls in place,” he said.
“The interim controls will protect this part of Frankston while we further consider the council’s request.”
Frankston City Council was approached for response.
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