No town houses: cathedral renovation plan toppled at council meeting

City of Greater Bendigo councillors have denied permission for the ambitious transformation over concerns about bulky builds and heritage.

It represents the latest blow to dreams of renovating the All Saints Old Cathedral on Mackenzie Street.

Developers have already lost a battle over earlier plans at state planning umpire the Victoria Civil Administrative Tribunal.

Councillors have now deemed replacement plans inadequate.

Cr Jen Alden used a council meeting on April 22 to air concerns with the project's form and appearance.

"The significant bulk form and appearance of the residential town houses ... behind the Mackenzie Quarters headmasters' residence and Mrs Batterhams have little mention of height, which is over 10 meters high," she said.

"It looks like not only does the proposed development potentially adversely impact on heritage significance of the place by not providing for an appropriate setting for the significant buildings but it is also ... not respectful of the surrounding buildings."

Cr Alden said the vandalism that had plagued the site in recent years had not been properly addressed.

"The heritage assessment made no comment on the issues such as the significant vandalism and destruction or theft of significant stained glass windows on the site previously," she said.

A number of members of the public objected to the developers' plans.

They had a range of concerns including potential noise problems for future residents of the town houses.

The church site was near the Rifle Brigade Hotel and Mrs Batterhams.

"The acoustic concerns with live music remain a concern for objectors as an original study was done based on a proposed Nightingale development behind the church and was done during COVID," Cr Jen Alden said.

Councillors Julie Sloan and Marg O'Rourke argued developers had responded to original concerns of noise and design.

"There are a large number of conditions that I feel come a long way to answering those [concerns]," Cr O'Rourke said.

"In speaking to a number of residents that live around that area, and I've been to the site numerous times, there is a realisation that they feel that this is an outcome that is much better than what was first put forward.

"There is sympathy in terms of the application that it's well-needed to have something of this nature in and around that inner city living."

Crs Jen Alden, Vaughan Williams, Greg Penna and Andrea Metcalf voted against the motion, which failed four votes to three.

The developers were contacted for comment.