Residents of a quiet Ferntree Gully street are raising concerns after learning a rooming house is proposed to be built at 6 Margot Street, which’s a small, residential area largely occupied by elderly residents.
Dora De Blasio, whose 98-year-old mother Angela lives across the road from the proposed development, said the news came as a shock to the long-time residents of the street.
“We got a letter Thursday or Friday last week. We have to have submissions in by this Friday,” Ms De Blasio said.
The property, recently sold earlier this year, was believed by neighbours to be a standard residential home, it wasn’t until plans were submitted to council that residents discovered it was intended to be a rooming house.
According to Ms De Blasio, the development plans show a nine-bedroom property with parking for only four vehicles, this, she said, raises concerns about congestion and access on an already narrow street.
“Suddenly we’re going to get this congestion on the road…parking is already a bit of a problem in that street, and when there’s cars parked on either side, it’s difficult driving down,” she said.
Concerns also extend beyond planning logistics.
Ms De Blasio said the proposal is especially worrying because Margot Street is home to many elderly residents who’ve lived there for decades.
“My mother lives across the road. She’s 98, next door is another elderly, who’s 94. Next door to the actual boarding house are people in their 80s. Two or three doors down, there’s more people in their 80s,” she said.
“It’s a very, very quiet, peaceful street, nothing much happens there at all, and I suppose we want to keep it that way.”
Ms De Blasio said several neighbours are working together to submit objections to the development, citing concerns including noise, safety, privacy, and lack of communication from authorities.
“There’s a lot of elderly people in that street…we’re already concerned because if it goes ahead, we’re going to have to put alarm systems in,” she said.
“I mean, I don’t want someone coming home drunk and going to the wrong house, banging on my mother’s door at one o’clock in the morning.”
Residents also expressed frustration about the short timeframe to respond and what they see as limited transparency around the process.
Ms De Blasio said, “No one wants a rooming or boarding house, but it’s happened so quickly and everyone’s up in arms.”
In a statement, Knox City Council said its ability to respond to community concerns is limited due to a Victorian Government planning exemption.
“Council’s jurisdiction is limited for this type of application due to a Victorian Government planning exemption for rooming house use,” the statement said.
“This is a statewide planning provision, which seeks to facilitate rooming houses of up to nine bedrooms for up to 12 people. As the proposed rooming house meets these requirements, a planning permit for the use of the land for this purpose is exempt.”
The current application under review is for building and works, not the use of the property as a rooming house.
The application is being advertised from 29 August to 14 September, council confirmed it will consider all submissions lodged after that timeframe until a decision is made.
Ms De Blasio urged the council to reconsider whether the development is appropriate for the street, citing both the physical constraints and the vulnerability of existing residents.
“They really need to reconsider if it’s an appropriate development in the area, we’ve got a real problem in that area,” she said.
