1-7 Waterfront Place, Port Melbourne (5)
November 2021
VCAT arranged a compulsory meeting on Friday, 5th November between the developer, the City of Port Phillip, and other parties. Such meetings are scheduled with the intention of reaching a resolution.
Unfortunately, there was no resolution. This means it will proceed to a Hearing from 23-25th March 2022, if an agreement has not been reached earlier.
September 2021
The developer of the site at 1-7 Waterfront Place has decided to appeal the City of Port Phillip’s (CoPP) decision regarding the site to VCAT.
VCAT has scheduled a compulsory meeting between the CoPP and the developer for 5 November 2021. If there is no resolution at this meeting, there will be a hearing from 23-25 March 2022.
June 2021
The most recent planning application for 1-7 Waterfront Place was first advertised in December 2020, and again in April 2021, following some changes in response to objector concerns.
Some features of the scheme put forward included
- two ten storey towers containing 119 dwellings
- a three level podium
- a 5 m wide laneway to the west (station side) of the site
- a provedore and a gym on the ground floor
- the whole proposal raked back to minimise overshadowing of the foreshore shared path
- the building set back 2 m from the Waterfront Place boundary to allow for a wider footpath
- a Built Environment Sustainable Scorecard of 70%
- the architects are Elenberg Fraser. (A planning permit condition requires that they be retained)
The application followed the Council’s urban design guidelines closely. After revisions in response to objector concerns, review by the Design Review Panel of the Office of the Victorian Government Architect, and a supportive recommendation from planning officers, the applicant may have thought the Port Phillip Council decision was assured. The desire to see something happen on the site, and a largely conforming proposal, meant that most objections were of refinement and detail, rather than passionate rejection.
But at the Council meeting recently elected Cr Heather Cunsolo put forward two amendments to the planning officer recommendation. Her amendments to protect the foreshore path from overshadowing at the winter solstice between 12 and 3 were supported 5:4.
The planning application was considered on 24 June, in the week of the winter solstice, when the benefit of winter sun is felt most acutely. Cr Cunsolo’s defence of sunlight to the foreshore promenade has a long history in Port planning activism.
The applicant and objectors have 28 days from the date of decision to appeal to VCAT. Should the decision be appealed, attention will turn on whether the amendment is consistent with this provision in the Port Phillip planning scheme:
Development should minimise overshadowing beyond the southern kerb line of Waterfront Place between the hours of 9:00am and 3:00pm at the June solstice.