A proposal for a 10-storey, 600-dwelling development on the former Caltex terminal in South Kingsville has been knocked back.
The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) last week refused the master plan, lodged by Newport Properties, for land at 38-48 Blackshaws Road and 24 Sutton Street.
Hobsons Bay council did not make a decision on the plan within the prescribed period, but later resolved that development on the site should be capped at six storeys and 420 dwellings.
VCAT said a key reason for refusing the plan was that high-density to the north of the site was unacceptable.
The northern boundary is next to the national freight rail line and beyond that lies the Spotswood Maintenance Centre (SMC), which services locomotives and is of national and state significance.
VCAT senior members Ian Potts and Laurie Hewet said they had concerns about levels of amenity for future residents of the proposed development and about the impact of residential development on SMC operations.
They said in their decision: “The significance of the SMC … heightens the necessity for careful consideration on the scale and form of development on this site.”
They said the site could take 600 dwellings in future and surrounding roads could cope with resultant traffic.
