MARIBYRNONG residents have vowed they are in for the long haul in their fight against a proposed 347-apartment complex to be built near the intersection of Wests and Raleigh roads.
Developer JMC plans to build five buildings, ranging from three to 19 storeys, on an 8900-square-metre site at 62 Wests Road.
Councillors will vote next Tuesday on whether to support the development.
Alan Ross, of the Maribyrnong Residents Association (MRA), said residents were shocked by the scale of the proposal and its likely impact on traffic, parking and neighbourhood character.
“We would hope the councillors would vote against it based on the last attempt to create an affordable housing project with 272 apartments,” he said.
That project was knocked back in the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) due to a lack of on-site parking.
About 80 people attended a public meeting on Thursday night and decided to lodge objections with the council.
Mr Ross said more than 100 residents had already lodged objections.
“Our concern is that there is not adequate on-site parking. Already there are so many cars parked on the streets that two-way streets effectively become one-way. We would consider around four storeys more acceptable.”
Plans for the development were first lodged with the council in December.
The proposal includes 443 resident car spaces and 73 for visitors.
A traffic impact assessment by GTA Consultants found the development would generate up to 1100 vehicle movements a day and up to 143 an hour at peak times.
According to JMC, the project “aims to cater for a wide variety of purchasers and adds to the potential of the area and its surrounding growth”.
Mr Ross expects the proposal will head to VCAT if the council knocks it back.
