City of Casey Council’s refusal of a proposed dwelling in Hallam on neighbourhood character grounds has been backed by the state’s planning tribunal.
Council rejected the proposal, deciding it did not reflect the existing ‘residential character of the area’.
The subject site is a five-sided allotment located on the intersection of Mapleson Court and Frawley Road in Hallam, covering an overall area of 658 square metres.
The surrounding area is predominantly residential, with the nearest commercial area located near the intersection of Princes Highway and South Gippsland Freeway in Dandenong South.
It was proposed to develop an additional dwelling to the side of the existing dwelling with a frontage to Frawley Road.
The existing dwelling on the subject land takes up a large proportion of the land, with the proposed additional building to include a study, kitchen, living area, toilet, and laundry at ground floor with three bedrooms an ensuite and bathroom at first floor level.
The applicant appealed the council decision at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
VCAT senior member Jeanette Rickards agreed with council’s decision and said the planning application was not acceptable for the chosen location.
“The desire to retain the existing dwelling results in the proposed dwelling being, in my view, squeezed into the area to the side of the existing dwelling,” Ms Rickards noted.
“I agree with the council there is no separation between the built form and although the applicant sought to point out similar examples in this location, on this site the proposal will have an unreasonable visual impact on the streetscape where there is separation between dwellings.
“This visual impact will also be highlighted by the need to provide an angled driveway resulting in minimal areas for the provision of landscaping on either side of this driveway.”
