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SmithStreet.org « CAG « News « PLANNING MINISTER APPROVES SMITH STREET HIGH-RISE TOWERS - REJECTS YARRA'S INTERIM PLAN

Hulls ignores community and Yarra Council, takes advice of Priority Panel, approves 3 high-rise towers of 7, 7 & 5 storeys & 161 apartments on Smith Street.

Planning Minister Rob Hulls today gave the go ahead for Banco's monster development. Hulls announced he was taking the advice of the Priority Development Panel - over the views of 1500 objectors, Yarra Council, resident groups and experts - and approving a mixed-use development by Banco on the site at 132-172 Smith Street and 63-71 Little Oxford Street, Collingwood. Hulls' decision opens the way for Banco to demolish half a block and destroy heritage buildings, to build a 3 tower high-rise development of 7, 7, and 5 storeys, with 161 apartments and a 24 hour supermarket, offices, retail outlets and more than 400 car park spaces. In the same decision the Minister rejected Yarra Council's Smith Street Precinct Interim Structure Plan, based on community consultation, which would have limited new development on Banco's site to a maximum of 5 storeys. According to Yarra Council's analysis, the tallest tower 'steps back' to 9 storeys at its centre, and the 7 storey tower 'steps back' to 8 storeys at its centre.

What the Minister said in a media release about his decision:
- reducing the height of the 3 buildings along Smith Street frontage from up to 8 storeys to between 5, 6 and 7 storeys.*
- setting back the upper level of the southern buliding from Smith Street by around 18 metres, reducing its visibility from the Street.
- reconstructing the historic facade of the former Coles Variety Store building and the former Foy & Gibson building.
- creating a new verandah in scale similar to the former Foy & Gibson Store that once extended across the site.
- allowing the height of the building along Little Oxford Street up to 4 storeys, with the upper levels set back.
*NB The release states that this building 'has been reduced in height by three storeys' - this appears an error, it is contradicted by the Minister's written statement which only mentions the 'deletion of 7th floor Building B dwellings'. In fact Building 'B' steps back to 9 storeys at the tower's centre, according to Yarra Council.

What the Priority Development Panel said to the Minister:
- subject to the removal of one storey from each of Buildings A and B, as well as some revision to the Smith Street facade and to the development's north-west corner, the scale of the development represents an appropriate response to the site's strategic and built form context.
- the redevelopment of the site, within a major activity centre well served by public transport and for a substantial mixed use development that responds appropriately to its historic and built form context, is consistent with planning policy at both a State and local level, including the objectives of Melbourne 2030.

A copy of the Priority Development Panel's report can be found at http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/....PanelReportDecember2005.pdf

What the Minister said to Yarra Council:
The Minister instructed Yarra to issue a planning permit to Banco, and ensure that all conditions placed on the planning permit are satisfied, to allow Banco to start building. Based on the Panel's advice the Minister rejected the Smith Street Interim Structure Plan, sending it back to Council to make changes to:
- better reflect the diversity of built form along Smith Street, including the Safeway site.
- any built form controls should be discretionary not mandatory.
- there should be greater clarity, less repitition and clearer linkages between the design objectives, the building and works controls and the decision guidelines.

What this means:
- Banco's original and revised plans were still an ambit claim - the Minister's decision, based on the Panel's advice, appears to give an overall reduction of only 1storey, and deletes 4 units from one tower and 2 units from another tower.
- A development has been approved that still exceeds the community's preferred maximum height limit and massing for Banco's site - on both Smith Street and on Little Oxford Street - as expressed in consultations for Yarra Council's Interim Structure Plan - now rejected by the Minister.
- Residential amenity and traffic are ignored - there is no reduction of the 411 space car park or proposal for alternative service vehicle options, in combination predicted to generate more than 2,500 new car movements a day down Little Oxford Street, a narrow one way street, an 800% increase over the current 400 daily movements.
- The heritage protection is minimalist facadism and goes no further than what Banco proposed in their revised plans - it also fails to conserve elements of the historic Macs Hotel and ignores the unique tunnel under Smith Street which should be conserved and opened.
- The Minister rejected Yarra's Smith Street Interim Structure Plan and requested Council to make amendments - there is no basis for giving special treatment to Banco by not applying the amended Structure Plan to the Banco site.
- There is no point in asking Councils to draft Structure Plans if maximum heights for development can only be 'discretionary' not mandatory - planning controls should be there to give certainty to developers and the community.
- The decision is a lost opportunity to win developer contributions for the community.

At this stage no revised plans are available to interpret the Minister's decision and Yarra Council has advised it is in discussions with the Minister and department over their errors in interpretation and drafting the planning permit. CAG will do a full analysis once plans are available.

What people are saying:
- National Trust warns the decision puts other historic shopping strips under threat (The Age, 15 February 2006).
- Yarra Councillor Steve Jolly says there will be a protest rally on Smith Street (The Age, 15 February 2006).
- Save Our Suburbs describes the decision as an absolute disaster and will set a precedent for other development (Financial Review, 16 February 2006).
- Local MP Wynne says the developer and council will need to resolve serious traffic problems in Little Oxford Street (Melbourne Times, 15 February 2006).

What the media is saying:
The Age ('Hulls approves Smith Street towers', Wednesday 15 February, p 5, theage.com.au), The Financial Review ('Anger builds at Collingwood', Thursday 16 February, p 60, www.afr.com), The Melbourne Times ('Hulls gives thumbs-up to Banco, but only if towers go down', February 15 2006, p 5).

Watch this space for a media release by Collingwood Action Group, news of the community campaign and a full analysis of the decision.