Castle falls to VCAT

By Tania Martin
SLEEPING Beauty has been sent packing after a proposed ‘castle’ development in Olinda was refused.
The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) has upheld the Shire of Yarra Ranges’ decision to refuse the application for a 14.1-metre tall castle in Chalet Road.
Streeton Ward councillor Noel Cliff likened the application to something that might be seen at Michael Jackson’s Neverland mansion and said it was time for it to go back to Never Never Land where it belonged.
“This has to be one of the worst applications I have seen in my years as a councillor,” he said.
“A building like this may have been at home in Disneyland, but it was certainly not appropriate for the Dandenongs.”
The application was for a castle with six bedrooms, three bed and breakfast suites, a gallery, living and recreational areas, a kitchen, several bathrooms and a cellar.
The council received 49 objections to the application from nearby residents saying it would be detrimental to the landscape and the character of the area.
Cr Cliff said VCAT’s decision is not only a victory for the council but for the local community who worked tirelessly to make sure the development didn’t go ahead.
“They (the community) really thought they were going to be stuck with this development and they just weren’t going to let that happen,” he said.
VCAT senior member, Margaret Baird said there were a number of reasons why the application was not suitable for the area including the height, scale and position of the proposed building.
She said the site for the castle was not big enough to support what had been proposed.
In her report, Ms Baird said the proposal would be too dominating in the sensitive location of the Dandenong Ranges where existing buildings are nestled in the surrounding environment.
She said the castle would be visually intrusive and block neighbouring properties’ views across the Emerald Creek Valley.
Cr Cliff said the council is all for tourism developments in the hills but it is against proposals that will muck-up the pristine beauty of the area.
He said the refusal was the only decision that both the council and VCAT could make because it needs to protect the Dandenongs against similar developments for future generations who will be living in the area.
“This decision is a victory for common sense,” he said.
The applicants were not available for comment before the Mail went to print.