The State Government on Friday announced it had fast-tracked approval of development at 173 Burke Road, Glen Iris, that received a record number of community objections.
The City of Stonnington received 198 objections to the development when it was first considered through a 2021 planning application. The application proposed a six-storey building with a full-size Woolworths supermarket and bottle shop at ground floor with 83 apartments above.
“The Council is concerned with what it considers is a poorly thought-out planning decision”, City of Stonnington CEO Dale Dickson said.
“The Council is of the view it is an overdevelopment that will place an unacceptable burden on local roads and infrastructure, impacting the amenity of residents now and into the future, including occupiers of the proposed new apartment complex.”
The decision comes after the owners of the land applied for a fast-track application directly to the Department of Transport and Planning, following a refusal of the earlier application by Stonnington in 2021, which was upheld on appeal at VCAT.
“As with the State Government’s unilateral plans to locate nine of its 25 fast tracked train and tram zone activity centres in Stonnington, this decision ignores the comprehensive, evidence-based plans already in place in Stonnington to deliver on future housing needs.
“These plans have been developed with substantial community engagement, and are designed to ensure the liveability and amenity of local neighbourhoods are not unduly eroded”.
