See the Collingwood Action Group
The Australian Financial Review, 16 February 2006, Mark Phillips.
Anger builds in Collingwood The Banco Group’s green light to develop a historic site has raised questions about urban planning in Melbourne, writes Mark Phillips.
The Save Our Suburbs lobby group has called for the redrafting of the Melbourne 2030 planning framework after a residential, office and retail complex of up to seven storeys was approved in Smith Street in inner-city Collingwood.
Plannning Minister Rob Hulls yesterday approved the development of the heritage site by the Blanco Group, infuriating SOS and local residents.
The approved plans have reduced the scale of the project and its impact on the surrounding streetscape.
The project at 132-172 Smith Street has been viewed as a litmus test of the planning strategy’s attitude towards major property development in established neighbourhood shopping centres.
“This is an absolute disaster,” SOS president Ian Quick said.
“It was very clear from the start that the panel were going to recommend it go ahead”
“It just shows a clear signal that the state government is going to approve just about anything”
Mr Hulls said he had accepted the advice of a priority development panel to allow the project to go ahead, subject to a Further reduction of its height and bulk.
The recommendations of the panel, which sat late last year, included reducing the height of three buildings along the Smith Street frontage by one storey to a new maximum of seven levels.
Blanco must also reconstruct the historic facades of two buildings on Smith Street that were originally planned for demolition, and reduce the height of buildings at the rear of the site on Little Oxford Street.
The final plans approved by Mr Hulls have scaled back the number of apartments in the development from 245 to 161.
The project will also include a shopping mall and office space.
The development was originally valued at $300 million, when it included three ninestorey towers on Smith Street.
Mr Hulls said the mixed-use project was “entirely consistent” with the intentions of Melbourne 2030, which encourages built-up development of suburban activity centres.
But he said the newly appointed state architect, John Denton, would review the final design specifications for the development including the choice and application of materials.
“The panel found that with some modifications, the proposed redevelopment responds to the historic and built form context of Smith Street” Mr Hulls said.
“They also found that the substantial redevelopment of a site within a major activity centre that is well serviced by public transport is consistent with the planning policies at both state and local level.
“I am satisfied that this redevelopment,subject to some design improvements, will transform this key inner-city site while maintaining the streetscape’s special inner urban character and appeal”
Mr Quick said the approval was a blow to residents who had been campaigning for almost two years against the project on the grounds that it was inappropriate for the neighbourhood.
But he said the decision came as no surprise as the panel had been established to fasttrack the development not to stop it “It was very clear from the start that the panel were going to recommend it go ahead.” Mr Quick said.
He said the approval of the Banco project would set a precedent for other neighbourhood centres.
“It’s a clear indication that Melbourne 2030 should he discontinued immediately and completely reviewed because it’s absolutely not appropriate that we put these scale developments m shopping strips which currently have nothing like it” Mr Quick said.
“If they put this on Smith Street, which is basically two storey buildings with the odd three [storey] and they’re quite happy to actually whack up those towers.
“If they’re happy to do that on Smith Street which is basically low-rise and smallish shops, they’re happy to do that anywhere”.
Approval of the Banco project will also put pressure on the state MP for Richmond, Richard Wynne, who faces a strong challenge in his scat at this year’s election from the
Greens and Mr Quick, who will run as an independent.
Banco did not return a call asking for comment.