Residents on Sullivans Road took their concerns to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, claiming lots on the southern side of their road were too small and would damage the character of the area.

VCAT agreed, and merged 25 of the lots, decreasing the total amount in the area from 173 to 161. Frontages onto Sullivans Road were increased from 20 metres to 35 metres, similar to houses that already exist on the road.

The remainder of the subdivision was largely unchanged in the VCAT decision, handed down this week.

One of the residents told the Bendigo Advertiser it was a good outcome.

“We believe it’s a wonderful result for the residents of Sullivan Road, Strathfieldsaye, in keeping with the character of the area,” she said.

The 161-lot subdivision, to be constructed in eight stages, sits on 17.3 hectares to the north and west of Sheepwash Creek.

The lots range in size from 427 to 1338 square metres.

In granting approval for the subdivision, VCAT senior member Ian Potts said “internally the development will form its own character”, but lots on Sullivans Road needed to adhere to the wider character of the area.

“Such a response should reflect the spacious character of development along Sullivans Road, provide a capacity to accommodate private garden landscaping and building setbacks that reflect but not mimic the character intended,” he said.

“This outcome can be achieved through larger lots with specified building setbacks along this interface.

“The interface along Sullivans Road is not acceptable and requires amendments. These amendments do not warrant a refusal of the permit, rather a modification to the subdivision layout can be achieved through conditions.”

The developer, referred to as Strathfieldsaye Property Pty Ltd, also appealed a number of conditions placed on the development by the City of Greater Bendigo.

It would no longer need to reconstruct a pathway, VCAT determined, while one section of road treatment was also removed as a condition.

The Strathfieldsaye Township Plan of 2009 had limited “substantive force of effect” over the subdivision given its “very limited” incorporation into the council’s planning scheme, VCAT found.

Despite recommending lot sizes of between 300 to 1200 square metres for Strathfieldsaye, VCAT found the plan merely sat as a “background document” with limited power to determine the nature of the subdivision.

Mr Potts said the plan offered “no other guidance” in how these subdivisions should be developed.

“My consideration of this document is that its incorporation into the scheme has been very limited,” he said.

“I am not persuaded that this plan has been properly applied to the context of this site.

“I conclude that a more urban level of development can be accommodated on the land given the locational attributes I have referred to earlier.”

The comments followed council’s finding that its residential character policies from 2001 were resulting in a large number of appeals in VCAT.

The Strathfieldsaye decision was the latest VCAT hearing relating to the character policy, which objectors relied upon in making their appeal.

The council this week received a draft report highlighting the issue.

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