Hobsons Bay council has rejected plans for a four-storey, 27-dwelling apartment block at 27 Aitken Street in Williamstown.
Aitken Properties Pty Ltd had applied to demolish the existing single-level industrial building to develop the site. The plans include 26 basement parking spaces.
Eighty one objections were received by the council, with the leading issues relating to neighbourhood character, heritage, height and bulk, parking, traffic, overshadowing, overlooking, noise and internal amenity concerns.
A previous application for the site was refused by the council and subsequently rejected on appeal to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) in September. A special planning committee comprising three councillors last Thursday was split. Councillors Angela Altair and Michael Grech voted against the plans, while Cr Jonathon Marsden voted in favour.
Grounds for refusal included the planned building being an overdevelopment of the site and having “unacceptable” car parking allocation. The committee ruled that the proposal was “inconsistent with heritage provisions in the Hobsons Bay planning scheme”.
The developer will appeal the council’s refusal at VCAT.
