Monash Council has expressed its strong disappointment with the State Government's approval of a 15-storey development in Oakleigh, despite significant concerns about the project's size, scale and impacts on the surrounding area.
The approved development at the corner of Atherton Road and Atkinson Street includes 122 apartments, ground-floor shops and four levels of basement parking.
Mayor Cr Stuart James said Council had strongly argued that the development was too large for the site and would have a significant impact on the character and amenity of the precinct.
"Council supports new housing and investment in Oakleigh, but it needs to be the right development in the right location and at the right scale," the Mayor said.
"This development is substantially taller than what had been anticipated for the area and does not reflect the carefully planned vision for future growth in Oakleigh.
"We put forward detailed concerns about the building's excessive height, its impact on surrounding streets, overshadowing of public spaces, wind impacts and the pressure it would place on the local environment."
"We're extremely disappointed those concerns were not ultimately reflected in the decision to approve the project," said Cr James.
While Council remains opposed to the overall scale of the project, it acknowledged that the permit conditions imposed by the State Government have adopted many of the improvements Council requested.
Those include requirements to address issues such as waste management, landscaping, public realm improvements, wind impacts, environmental investigations, pedestrian amenity and streetscape upgrades.
"The conditions attached to the permit are certainly stronger because of the issues Council raised, and we welcome that," Cr James said.
"While the conditions will improve aspects of the development, they don't address Council's fundamental concern that the building is simply too big for this site," said Cr James.
Council will continue advocating for development that delivers more housing while respecting neighbourhood character, protecting amenity and supporting the long-term vision for Oakleigh and the wider Monash community.
