Unit plans rile neighbours

By Rebecca Fraser
ENDEAVOUR Hills residents fear that a proposed eight-unit development will ruin the character of their neighbourhood.
Concerned resident Lynne Pal said her family might be forced to sell their Kennington Park Drive home if the project went ahead.
Speaking on behalf of other residents, Ms Pal said locals feared the development would encroach on residents’ privacy and create traffic headaches in the already busy street.
Casey Council has received 27 objections to the proposal, which if approved, would see eight two-storey units built behind an existing two-storey home.
The proposal is scheduled to be presented to a planning committee meeting on Tuesday 24 October.
Depending on council’s recommendation, one objector and the applicant could be given the opportunity to make a presentation to council on the proposed development.
Concerned residents met three weeks ago to discuss the proposal and listed a string of objections to the development.
These included that the project would not fit into the character of the neighbourhood, that the development would overshadow neighbouring homes and that it would intrude on and disturb the personal privacy of residents.
Locals also fear the development could lead to excessive noise and disturb the peace and security of their neighbourhood.
Ms Pal said the objectors felt the development did not fit the character of the neighbourhood.
She said Kennington Park and neighbouring streets were iconic to Endeavour Hills.
Residents feared that, if the development were approved, it could pave the way for similar developments in the area.
“Everyone moved here for open country living. Why would you want to do this in such a lovely part of Endeavour Hills?” Ms Pal said.
“It is a nice area and people want to keep it that way. I would not want to stay here if it went ahead, but it would be really sad to go.”
Nick Zahlan, who is handling the proposed development for the landowners, said this week he was 100 per cent confident that the development would be approved if the matter were taken to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
He said the development would have minimal impact on traffic, and would in fact add hundreds of thousands of dollars to nearby property values as it would show prospective buyers the potential of the land.
Mr Zahlan said all planning guidelines had been strictly followed and residents would be unable to see the development from the street.