General News
12 July, 2022
Shire rejects Port planning application
A PLANNING application for the construction of a two storey house in Port Campbell has been rejected.
A PLANNING application for the construction of a two storey house in Port Campbell has been rejected.
Corangamite Shire Council voted against the recommendation to approve the application, with just Cr Kate Makin voting in favour of the application.
Shire planning officer Klaas Meekel in his report to council said the application was for the construction of a second dwelling and a two lot sub-division in Pitcher StreetPort Campbell.
He said following public notice of the application one objection was received which raised a number of key issues including:
• Overlooking (neighbouring house);
• Privacy;
• Overbearing mass of the new building; and
• Neighbourhood character.
“The subject site has a total area of 1012m2 and is currently occupied by a single storey dwelling with existing scattered vegetation,” Mr Meekel said.
“The proposal provides an acceptable response to the general residential zone, design objectives of design and development overlay and the strategic direction and policy of the Municipal Planning Strategy and Planning Policy Framework."
“The proposed development is generally consistent with the surrounding area and will improve the diversity of housing stock to meet current and future residential needs.”
However, councillors did not agree. Cr Jamie Vogels moved an alternate motion to refuse the application.
“Going down on site gives you a much different perspective to the conditions down there than looking at maps,” he said.
“Where it’s sited, the back of the block is where it overlooks the house behind which is set down even lower which almost gives you a effect of a three storey house, rather than a two storey house monstering over that house."
“I think it’s a privacy issue and bulk and size issue. Anywhere else on the block or further up the block is probably not much of an issue, but where it is doesn’t fit in with the DDO3.”
Cr Jo Beard said she was “a bit torn onthis one”.
“I’m not comfortable with the application as it sits and the officers recommendation,”she said.
“The overlooking was a significant issue and I appreciate that there’s been some steps taken and some mitigation applied to not have the overbearing such a significant issue; but I still don’t think it’s enough.
“It’s a significant house for an infill house. We have to be really careful about the precedence we set.”
Cr Beard called on the applicants “to do some more work”.
Cr Makin said she felt the neighbourhood character of Port Campbell was an “evolving one”.
“There are numerous two storey dwellings through Port Campbell...I feel that this proposal is not out of character,” she said.
“With the privacy issue, the applicant has taken steps to mitigate this."
“The neighbourhood character of Port Campbell is in transition.”