Planning blow-out

By Tania Martin
A BUILDER has been given the chance to fix a controversial Belgrave development which the council has been told is double the size originally approved.
On Tuesday night last week, the Shire of Yarra Ranges approved an amended planning permit in an attempt to make the building compliant.
After investigations, the council allegedly found that the development, at 28 Monbulk Road, Belgrave, was grossly non-compliant with its planning permit.
In the meeting, nearby resident Beverly Mann told the council that the building was not what had been originally approved.
“We were told it was going to be a country lane cottage but now it’s completely different in both structure and style,” she told councillors.
Ms Mann said the house had gone from 15 square metres to approximately 30 with no advertising to residents, no changes to the existing permit or approval from the council.
“It’s gone from two storeys to three levels and is now totally out of character with the area,” she said.
“The builder seems to be able to modify the building as he pleases,” she told the meeting.
Since discovering the anomalies in the building, the council has taken the matter to the Magistrates’ Court and is now waiting for a hearing date.
Lyster Ward councillor Samantha Dunn said the non-compliance issue had been discovered after a council audit on the development.
She said the most concerning issue was that the house had been built in such a way that it could have the ability to turn into more than one dwelling.
“The internal structure had been made so that one half mirrored the other with several front doors and with the way the stairwells were built, it could have easily been turning from one dwelling to two,” Cr Dunn said.
Cr Dunn said this was concerning because under the council’s planning regulations only one dwelling per lot is permitted in that area.
The council last week approved an amended permit, which would help bring the building back into compliance.
It was also hoped that the permit conditions would stop the building from being turned into more than one dwelling.
The amended permit now states that the land must only be used for one dwelling and that both front access points must be redesigned in accordance with the original plans.
Ms Mann has commended the council’s move to approve the amended permit in an attempt to stop any further non-compliance issues.
She said it was also alarming that someone had changed their plans so much without consulting the council.
“But we can never look over someone 100 per cent of the time but we will clearly be focussed on this one because there has been so many breaches,” she said.
Cr Dunn said this also sends a message to other builders and residents that the council will not tolerate non-compliance with a planning permit.
As the Magistrates’ Court case is pending, the builder Geoff Dungey declined to comment on the matter.