COURT APPROVES TATTOO PARLOUR DESPITE COMMUNITY AND COUNCIL OPPOSITION
The NSW Land and Environment Court has granted development consent for a tattoo parlour to be established in Melrose Park, despite strong opposition from the City of Ryde and local residents.
In a judgement handed down this week, the Court upheld an appeal lodged by the applicant to change the use of part of the building located at 31 Cobham Avenue, Melrose Park, in order for it to accommodate a tattoo parlour.
The decision to grant development consent was made by the Court despite City of Ryde staff recommending the development applicati on be refused - a position subsequently supported by the Ryde Local Planning Panel wh ich rejected the application at a meeting on 4 July 2019.
In its decision, the Ryde Local Planning Panel stated that the proposed change of use to a tattoo parlour was n ot considered suitable for the site and contrary to the public interest.
In particular, the Ryde Local Planning Panel found that a tattoo parlour was contrary to the objectives of the B1 Neighbourhood Centre zone, where 31 Cobham Avenue is located, in th at it would not service the needs of the people who live or are within the surrounding neighbourhood.
A total of 55 submissions were received d uring the development application's public exhibition, the vast majority of which were in strong opposition to t he establishment of the tattoo parlour at 31 Cobham Avenue.
City of Ryde Mayor, Clr Jerome Laxale, said he was extremely disappointed with the decision by the NSW Land and Environment Court.
"Once again, Council stood side -by -side with our community in opposing this type of development in a qui et neighbourhood," Clr Laxale said.
"The intent of the Neighbourhood Centre zoning - as is the case across Sydney - is to provide for a range of small -scale retail, business and community uses such as newsagents, hairdressers.
pharmacists or butchers. This was the primary reason cited by the Ryde Local Planning Panel in its decision to refuse the development application.
