By Goya Dmytryshchak
Pockets of Altona, Laverton, Altona North, South Kingsville and Williamstown have been earmarked for “substantial change” under three new residential development zones in Hobsons Bay.
The zones approved by the council are:
• Residential growth zone allowing at least four storeys.
• General residential zone with a three-storey height limit.
• Neighbourhood residential zone limited to two storeys.
The residential growth zone includes areas around Altona, Laverton, Westona, Aircraft and North Williamstown train stations, pockets along Millers and Blackshaws roads at Altona North and Sutton Street, South Kingsville.
Part of Newport, around the train station, has been excluded from the new zones because a heritage study is “well progressed”.
Williamstown has been mostly designated a neighbourhood zone, with “limited change”.
Cr Colleen Gates told last week’s council meeting that protecting heritage was “really critical”.
“The streetscape you see in Laverton compared to, say, Newport compared to Altona, are significantly different and create very important character that people appreciate when they’re moving from one part of the municipality to the other,” she said.
Cr Gates said the state government in 2014 had put a blanket three-storey zoning across the whole municipality.
“What we’re proposing here is to reduce that back to 21 per cent and then scale back to a neighbourhood residential zone with a two-storey height limit to 77 per cent of the residentially zoned land,” she said.
“The gap, or what’s left over, is the residential growth zone and that’s been applied to two per cent across the municipality and focused on areas with walking or easy access to transport.”
The council had received 57 submissions on the new zones, mainly concerned about over-development in Altona and Newport and, conversely, limitations to development that could adversely impact property values.
The planning scheme amendment is expected to take 12 to 18 months to be implemented, with community members to receive another opportunity to lodge an objection or submission when it is formally exhibited.
