SAY YES TO CREATING MAY STREET WEST INTO A PARK
In addition, the Stop the Elsternwick Towers Group has discovered that the proposed site contains an existing road. We have expert legal advice that May Street West is a road, and has never been discontinued by Glen Eira Council. Legally it belongs to Council on behalf of ratepayers and not Woolworths, who have gated the area and plan to build over it.
Given the proximity of the site to the recently approved Selwyn Street Cultural & Pedestrian Precinct, we are calling for the return of the road to the residents of Elsternwick by way of a public park.
The road has never been sold, never been discontinued, and is not Woolworths to develop.
The City of Glen Eira, and in particular Elsternwick, has the least amount of open space per person in Melbourne. This road represents a once in a lifetime opportunity to create new open space for the community who are crying out for more public parks. In addition, it complements the newly approved Selwyn Street Cultural & Pedestrian Precinct, which is planned to be the heart and soul of our neighbourhood.
The Glen Eira Open Space Strategy has identified a distinct lack of parkland in this area. Given that Council already own the land, a unique opportunity exists to create public open space at a minimal cost.
GLEN EIRA COUNCIL VOTES NO TO THE REVISED WOOLWORTHS DEVELOPMENT
As you may be aware Woolworths recent changes to their proposal for
10-16 Selwyn Street has been rejected by Council for a second time.
The reasons for refusal were as follows:
- The scale and setbacks of the southern tower will appear overly dominant from Glen Huntly Road and will not adequately respect the low scale character and heritage character of the commercial premises along Glen Huntly Road. The proposal is contrary to Schedule 10 to the Design and Development Overlay at Clause 43.02, Clause 15.01- 1S (Urban design), Clause 15.01-1R (Urban design – Metropolitan Melbourne), Clause 15.01-1S (Building design), Clause 15.01-5S (Neighbourhood character), Clause 22.05 (Urban Villages Policy) and Clause 58.02-1 (Urban Context) of the Glen Eira Planning Scheme.
- The southern tower does not appropriately respond to the design objectives, design criteria or decision guidelines of Schedule 10 to the Design and Development Overlay at Clause 43.02 of the Glen Eira Planning Scheme.
- The scale and design of the southern tower fails to conserve or enhance the significance of the Elsternwick Estate and environs heritage precinct and will adversely affect the significance of the heritage place contrary to Clause 43.01 (Heritage Overlay), Clause 15.01-1S (Heritage conservation), Clause 21.10-2 (Heritage), and Clause 22.01 (Heritage Policy) of the Glen Eira Planning Scheme.
- The design of the vehicle egress from the basement car park will enable significant traffic movements along Selwyn Street and through the cultural precinct. This will compromise the role of Selwyn Street as a cultural precinct and its pedestrian amenity. It will also result in increased traffic distribution within local streets to the north of the subject land to the detriment of residential amenity.
The response to the Glen Eira City Council council vote last night to REJECT the proposed Woolworths ten storey towers in the local heritage area of Elsternwick Village has been overwhelming.
The local residents have campaigned long and hard against this development through the Stop The Elsternwick Towers group.
This should be a wake up call to planners, councillors and politicians all over Melbourne that residents are well and truly fed up with inappropriate development and that this is a major issue that needs to be addressed.
The planning laws are simply broken.
Thank you to all the Councillors who unanimously voted against this proposal.
We fully support Glen Eira City Council's plans for a pedestrian and cultural precinct in Selwyn St and this vision should not be compromised by inappropriate development.
Would you like some signage?
We have corflute fence signage available if you would like to show your support.
Simply email your details (name, address & mobile) to communitybeforetowers@gmail.com and we can deliver and install if you wish.
All we ask is that you donate $20 to cover the cost of the signs.
You can deposit here :
Bendigo Bank
Elsternwick Branch (Glenhuntly Rd, cnr St. Georges Rd)
Acc. Name: Stop the Elsternwick Towers
BSB: 633-000
Acc No.: 166 384 842
SAY NO TO THE REVISED WOOLWORTHS DEVELOPMENT
We believe they do not address the 3 main issues of the development
1) HEIGHT - The new proposal has made NO changes to Northern Tower height & setbacks to neighbours still short of requirements
2) HERITAGE - Buildings design still dominates Glen Huntly Rd view & has no provisions for an appropriate setback as recommended by VCAT
3) TRAFFIC CHAOS - Trucks and customer traffic will still flood residential streets, creating gridlock and parking nightmare for residents - with the loading dock still in Sinclair Street
PROPOSED NEW PLANS
· No changes to the northern tower.
· No changes to the supermarket.
· No changes to the traffic gridlock and parking issues this will create for residents.
· Still dominating the heritage view of the Glen Huntly Rd shopping strip with no narrowing and no further setback provided as recommended by VCAT.
· Reduced height of the southern tower to the Maximum allowed by the DDO, but still 14 meters above the council preferred height of 23 meters.
· Additional setback of 2 meters for the neighbours to the east, still 4 metres short of the requirements of the DDO at 9 meters height and 7 meters’ closer than requirements at the 4th floor. The 5th to 8th floor should be set back a further 12 meters.
About Us
Who are we?
We are a community-based organization focused on stopping the Elsternwick Towers and Woolworths Supermarket. We are very concerned about inappropriate development in Glen Eira.
Get Involved
Are you passionate about what we're doing? Let us know! Help us save Glen Huntly Road from becoming covered in wall-to-wall high rise towers. We'd be devestated if this area became the next Docklands.
Tell them what you think
Don't like what you see here? Tell Woolworths and the Glen Eira Council what you think!
Woolworths: https://www.facebook.com/woolworths/
Mayor of Glen Eira Council: Cr Margaret Esakoff
e:MEsakoff@gleneira.vic.gov.au