A proposal for a huge housing development could go ahead if approved at a council meeting next week, despite receiving more than 100 objections.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Hepburn Shire Council planners have recommended councillors approve a proposal to transform a hobby farm with an existing dwelling in the heart of Daylesford, at 17 Smith Street, into a 53-lot subdivision.
Hepburn Shire Council chief executive officer Evan King said planning officers found the subdivision would fit with the character of the area, had a mixture of block sizes and was in line with council's planning scheme.
The land is situated next to St Michael's Primary School and near the only high school in the region, Daylesford College.
The 4.88 hectare property is already zoned for residential use.
Plans for the subdivision indicate the lot sizes range from 549 metres squared to 979 metres squared and are connected by tree-lined roads.
One hundred and two residents made objections to the subdivision, raising concerns about the change in character of the township, traffic congestion on Smith Street, the safety risk of a single entry and exit and the high number of lots.
A number of residents objected to the removal of an oak tree at the Smith Street entrance.
Mr King said the retainment of the tree was a condition of the approval of the plans.
"The developer is trying to create an engineering response to not remove that tree," he said.
"Another concern is for the old building on the site. The developer is proposing to merge two of the blocks to keep the building and sell it with the caveat it would need to be renovated and kept on site."
Mr King said the developer had also said a secondary exit to the area would be created if another block of land was developed at a later date.
"In a range of aspects, the developers have tried to listen to the community about their concerns," he said.
Property developer Joseph van Dyk, who is also developing the Nightingale apartments in Ballarat, told The Courier in October the housing designs would be sustainable, with plans to use drainage pipes made with recycled plastic and to lay the asphalt on the roads from recycled rubber.
Hepburn Shire Mayor Cr Licia Kokocinski said there was a lot of pressure in Daylesford for increased housing stock.
"We hear it all the time as councillors that there is not enough housing. There is not enough housing stock for any income level and there is certainly not enough low cost housing," she said.
"I think this will definitely improve the housing stock. I can see from the plans the blocks are a good, mixed size. There will be a diversity of blocks, a diversity of housing styles and of course there will be a diversity of people to add to the population here."
Mr King said the developer had offered to consider proposing a proportion of the blocks as dedicated low cost housing.
The subdivision will be voted on by councillors at the Hepburn Shire Council meeting on Tuesday from 6pm at the Daylesford Town Hall.
Have you signed up to The Courier's variety of news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in Ballarat.