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RELATED: 'Beehive' opposed in Flora Hill
UPDATE 4pm: The second day of a VCAT hearing about a proposed 15-lot subdivision in Flora Hill has heard from consultant town planner Andrew Clarke.
Mr Clarke provided the tribunal with expert testimony based on his analysis of the proposed development at 21-25 Curtin Street, Flora Hill.
He told the tribunal the site fit the description of an "infill" site suitable for the purposes of medium density living.
In regards to neighbourhood character, which he described as "the critical issue in this hearing", Mr Clarke said future housing in the area would be unlikely to develop in keeping with "post-war housing".
"It (the Curtin Street proposal) will look different but development doesn't mean it's not respectful (of neighbourhood character)," he said.
He said the small amount of fencing proposed for the corner of the site, which had been the subject of some objections, helped to "define the site" rather than hinder it.
He said other objections to the two-storey height of the development were not based on valid planning principles and disagreed they would dominate the streetscape.
"I don't know of any tribunal decision... that says buildings can't be built to two storeys in a single-storey area," he said.
Overall, Mr Clarke said the architecture was "contemporary and conservative without being garish", which provided flexible options for different types of households and made efficient use of space.
EARLIER: A HOUSING development proposed for Flora Hill was not only in keeping with neighbourhood character but reflected a change in broader society towards higher density living, a court has heard.
The morning of the second day of a Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal at Bendigo Magistrates Court heard submissions from the development applicant's legal representative, John Cicero.
Mr Cicero responded to a number of City of Greater Bendigo council and resident criticisms of the development heard in yesterday's hearing, including the assertion the development was not in line with the neighbourhood character and impacted the "spaciousness" of the surrounding streetscapes.
Mr Cicero said contrary to the idea of being inconsistent with neighbourhood character, the medium-density development sought to enhance it.
"This is a post-war suburb in the main where there is no cohesion of building stock," he said.
"There is some evidence of urban renewal, but not a lot. There is no one identifiable character.
He said while residents might find it a pleasant place to live, "in character terms it has no special qualities" for new buildings' design to need to take particular consideration of.
He said neighbourhoods such as the one in Flora Hill should expect to see more intense development in the future.
"If we are going to be truthful to policy, that change will occur in this neighbourhood," he said.
"Land is a finite source."
He said planning policy sought to increase the level of density in places like Bendigo.
"That's were policy says we should be developing," he said.
"This is a neighbourhood of change."
Mr Cicero took particular aim at council's assertion that household sizes in the proposed development were not suitable to students, saying students often preferred to share houses than live by themselves.
"There's no reason why students can't share one or more of these buildings," he said.
He said other criticisms, including small laundries in the houses and having no fences to separate properties within the development, were indicative of a need to adopt a more "European" attitude towards space.
"We need to adapt as a society," he said.
"As a community we need to understand space comes at a cost."
He said the idea behind the lack of fences was to create a community which was "not cramping people in" and to encourage a more socially inclusive design.
"I don't see this will create any sort of disharmony - in fact we're trying to get them (residents) to talk to each other with no fences. We don't want fences," he said.
He argued the design intentionally hadn't gone for a "traditional" housing development.
"Boring, boring," he said.
More to come.