Townhouse fight looms at Lakeside

By Paul Dunlop
RESIDENTS living in Pakenham’s Lakeside estate are opposing plans to build 15 doublestorey townhouses near their homes.
They claim the development will block their views, create additional traffic at the end of a dead end street and spoil the ‘village’ atmosphere that attracted them to the estate.
Residents recently took their objections to Cardinia Shire Council.
But council said it was satisfied the development complied with plans for the area and ruled it should go ahead.
Now, the people opposed to the development are deciding whether they will seek to have that ruling overturned by the Victorian Civil and Administration Tribunal.
“We’re not sure what we’ll do yet,” said one resident who did not wish to be named.
Council signalled its intention at a town planning meeting on 1 August to issue a permit for the development in Howqua Place.
Councillors at the meeting acknowledged residents’ concerns but, with the exception of councillor Helen Ward, agreed with town planners that it was a suitable proposal.
Council staff said the application by Architectural Projects Australia met state and local planning regulations and would help to provide the mix of different housing styles that was a feature of the Lakeside estate.
However, Cr Ward backed objectors’ concerns that the extra traffic that would result would put a strain on existing infrastructure.
The Bunyip Ward councillor said she was not convinced that Howqua Place could cope with what town planners estimated would be an additional 300 vehicle movements a day.
Told Howqua Place was defined as an access street and therefore able to cope with up to 2000 vehicle movements a day, Cr Ward said she found that “very hard to believe”.
Councillor Graeme Legge said he was confident the road was adequate and moved that the application be approved.
Referring to the eight objections from residents living near the proposed development, Cr Legge said it was pleasing to note there was already “some sense of community” in the estate.
Cr Legge said the 3194 square metre allotment on which the apartments would be built had always been earmarked for multiunit development.
Councillor Kate Lempriere said she did not have a problem with the proposal, which was subject to a string of conditions.
“It’s always difficult when … (Pakenham has) been in a country area and then starts to develop highdensity living. People aren’t used to it,” Cr Lempriere said.
“In other places, lots of people live very closely together. We have to have faith in our planning officers.”
The 15 doublestorey townhouses will be set overlooking parkland and nearby wetlands.