Council has voted to abandon a combined amendment and planning permit that would have seen 84 apartments built in Rippleside as part of stage five of the Balmoral Quay development.
The amendment applied to land at 1, 11, 23, 40 and 60 Harbourside Drive, and 1 to 20 Lumb Place, Rippleside. It sought schedule and documentation updates to implement the planning permit, which proposed an increased maximum building height of seven storeys (27 metres).
An Independent Panel found that Amendment C436ggee was strategically supported by planning policy and recommended it be adopted, and the permit be issued with changes.
However, public exhibition last year attracted 173 submissions, including a petition with 419 signatures. A total of 167 submissions were against the amendment, expressing concerns about the height and scale of the development, the strategic justification of the amendment, traffic and car parking concerns, and overshadowing. Six submissions either supported the amendment, did not object or provided comments only.
Eight residents presented their submissions to the Independent Panel in February this year alongside the City and the developer.
Mayor Trent Sullivan
While the Independent Panel supported the amendment, the level of community unease was concerning.Council thanks each and every community member who made a submission about Amendment C436ggee for stage five of the Balmoral Quay development.
We've heard loud and clear from the community that the size of the residential development, which was larger than initially contemplated, wasn't appropriate for this area.
Councillor Peter Murrihy
Council will now tell the Minister for Planning in writing that the amendment has been abandoned.When you have been on Council long enough you get a feel for what the people of Geelong want and I don't think a 27-metre block of apartments is one of those.
A notice will be published on the Geelong Australia website that the amendment is abandoned and include reasons for our decision.
We appreciate the work of the Independent Panel which has ensured that we continue to have an open and accountable process.
