I REFER to the letter by Edward O’Donohue in the Gazette on the 9th of June in regard to the proposed six-storey development for Lyall Road Berwick.
Mr O’Donohue did not attend the VCAT hearing and has made no attempt to consult with our informed group of residents and business owners and therefore is not in a position to make a judgement on this issue.
The City of Casey refused the original application for this development on six grounds yet at the VCAT hearing they had limited legal representation and only defended two of those six grounds.
Berwick is identified as a major activity centre in the 2030 plan; however council should have completed the Berwick Village Structure Plan for 2030 long ago which would have protected the historical and culturally significant part of Berwick from such inappropriate overdevelopment.
At the VCAT hearing the legal representative for the developer stated on several occasions that they were “willing to take a floor off” and make other changes to the proposal. This has been ignored. In section 25 of the VCAT ruling it states the development is “a building of approximately equivalent height” to the Berwick Marketplace (Woolworths) building. This is totally incorrect. The Lyall Road development is 26 metres high at its highest point, the marketplace complex is only 16 metres, which is an obvious significant difference of 10 metres or almost three storeys.
In its ruling VCAT has chosen to accept the parking rates put forward by the developer’s “expert” witness which are contained in a report by a Ministerial Advisory Committee. These figures are not in line with current planning laws. The ruling even goes as far as stating in paragraph 29 of the conditions that the plans must include (a) the location of all parking areas on and off–site to be used for staff and patron parking. If Mr O’Donohue was up to date on local issues he would know that shortage of available parking spaces is already one of the biggest issues affecting Berwick Village and it is unacceptable for this development to be approved on the basis that these existing spaces can be used. Contrary to previous statements in the media, no Berwick business is happy about that.
In regard to Tammy Lobato, she has openly opposed this development from the beginning, taking time to put forward a written objection to council and most recently supporting the community on its stance in regard to the 173 agreement restricting development on part of the Lyall Road site.
What have you done for the community Mr O’Donohue in regard to this development? We do not care which side of the political arena you come from. If you have some constructive advice or assistance to offer we welcome you to do so, but we will not be used as a political point-scorer.
I also wish to again stress that the Residents, Ratepayers and Friends of Berwick Village are not against a development on the Lyall Road site. We are just asking for a development that respects Berwick’s unique character and shows consideration for residents and businesses. This current proposal does not.
Annette Aldersea,
President, Residents, Ratepayers and Friends of Berwick Village Inc.
