FRANKSTON councillors have voted unanimously to signal their disapproval of a proposed ten storey development next to the South East Water building in Frankston.
The proposal was to “construct a 10 storey building with an overall height of 38.6 metres on the subject site which is located on the south-west corner of Nepean Highway and Playne Street” that would “be used for a restaurant, a café, retail and office activities, accommodation in the form of apartments with communal facilities and a communal roof terrace.”
Councillors unanimously voted to agree that a planning application “for the use and development of the land at 490-504 Nepean Highway Frankston for the construction of a 10 storey building for use for retail (shop), food and drink premises (restaurant and café), office and accommodation (108 apartments), and a reduction in the car parking requirements” would have been refused “should a review not have been lodged (…) at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.”
The council officer’s assessment stated that “the development proposal raises two substantive issues. The proposed development exceeds the 20 metre mandatory height controls for Precinct 1B as adopted by council in Amendment C123, and the grant of a planning permit would be futile as council resolved at the council meeting of 23 April 2019 not to sell their interest in the site as part landowner of the land.”
“Frankston City Council is the land owner of that part of the site below 5.55 metres AHD which currently provides public car parking by a lease arrangement. The development proposes to demolish the existing building and build over council’s land but does not address council’s interest in the site or propose a satisfactory resolution to the existing provision of public car parking on the site,” the assessment read.