PLANNING minister Sonya Kilkenny has approved plans for a 14-storey apartment building on Beach Street. The plans were revealed by developer CAAMCo earlier this year. Last week, planning minister Sonya Kilkenny gave the green light for construction to begin.
The 14-storey tower at 11 Beach Street will feature 62 apartments of up to three bedrooms. Kilkenny said that the project was fast-tracked for approval as it would provide “affordable” homes in Frankston. “By fast-tracking projects like this, we’re ensuring that more Victorians have access to safe, secure, and affordable homes—because every Victorian deserves a roof over their head,’ Kilkenny said.
Frankston MP Paul Edbrooke has given the project his approval. He said “when this building opens its doors, residents will benefit from affordable housing that is well-connected to public transport and close to vital services and the beautiful waterfront.”
Earlier this year, the state government announced that 36,000 new homes would need to be built in the Frankston municipality by 2051 to accommodate the area’s growing population (“Huge housing goal for Frankston” The Times 25/6/2024). The role of high-rise towers in Frankston’s future housing supply has been the subject of intense debate across the most recent four-year council term. Planned developments along Nepean Highway have sparked the most interest – the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal approved plans for the “Harbour” proposal at 446-450 Nepean Highway in April, then rejected a plan for a 14-storey proposal at 438-444 Nepean Highway in July. Plans for a 14-storey building at 424-426 Nepean Highway have also been submitted to VCAT for consideration. The planning minister used powers handed to her through the state government’s “development facilitation program” to approve the Beach Street plans.
First published in the Frankston Times – 20 August 2024