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16 Comments

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1. The design is not inline with neighborhood character
   Issues
   - Very small street access ways
   - Tight and small turning areas for large vehicles
   - Very limited visitor parking options
   - There will be traffic issues trying to pass oncoming vehicles
   - Design is not good for emergency vehicles, fire trucks etc.
   - The area has had a history of grass fires on the freeway reserve.
   - With fire trucks arriving and people leaving, traffic issue is likely
   - Forget above getting a anywhere with a trailer
   - Delivery trucks are not going to be happy dropping off your furniture etc
   - There will be total road block when rubbish truck is emptying the 4 bins types
   - I've never seen such a small roadway
   Ideas
   A loop road would be better, that way long and large vehicles would not need to do a tight three point turns
   Wider road access ways would be far better.

2. This is an extremely large development in an area that is largely low density residential. The proposal connects a new road to the small residential area around Basin Rise, and would more than double the total residents accessing what was designed as a quiet neighbourhood street.

   60 dwellings in a small area such as this ignores the local area's precedents, limits private open space and natural light, and puts a heavy load on the local infrastructure.

3. Inappropriate in that this development will set a precedent for developers looking at 'creative' ways to utilise small pockets of land by employing small footprint multistorey dwellings at the expense of the environment. Little by little, bit by bit, the environment is being sacrified for the dollar, forcing native wildlife back into near-suburbs.

   Car parking and deliveries is an issue, obviously, and a forward visualisation of this precinct envisions a crowded space (rewind 5 years and there was nothing at all on these green slopes fronting the freeway!). There needs to be also, as a prerequisite, more than one access road; if each apartment has for example 2 cars, that is a dramatic increase in vehicle movements and disturbance in a one-way street. As the plan stands, this single thoroughfare could become chaotic in an emergency; I would think Police, Ambulance, Fire and Utilities should be consulted re access and impediments before going any further.

4. This is just a total planning disaster. Any approval of this should be investigated, an those who approve this debacle need to be severely dealt with and re educated. It is high density poorly designed rubbish. Public space is not considered, Traffic flow abysmal, quality of life for those who live there will be appalling and the strain on public services has obviously not been addressed. Geelong is being destroyed by too many proposals such as this, and it should be put where it belongs. In the shredder

5. This is an appalling over-development in what is supposed to be a low density, family-friendly area with abundant vegetation. We all know that developers don't care about existing residents and intend to continue trying to cram as many dwellings onto a single block as possible, but why council planners are enabling them should be examined more closely. Highton is a prime example of this and seems to have become high density by stealth. What's more, I think we're all sick of reading "Removal of native vegetation" on these applications. We need more trees and native vegetation, not less. I hope the local residents of Wandana Heights band together to oppose this development and look into how a similar proposal for a property in Morven Crt (off Sth Valley Road, Highton) was successfully opposed.

6. There is too much pressure on Wandana Drive as it is. The road would need to be expanded near Tim Hill reserve to sustain double parked cars & two lanes traffic. Otherwise the apartments need access from their end over to Highton without using Wandana Drive otherwise this will really impact an already strained road/area.
   The other overflow areas of concern that this will create is a need for traffic light at scenic Rd/Roslyn Rd & Thornhill /Roslyn. They are impossible to get out of if u Drive these areas at 8:30-9am or 5-6pm!

7. What a nightmare. We love our quiet little pocket of Wandana Heights and that would be destroyed.
   Parking is already an issue in our narrow streets and let’s not even talk about the increased traffic from Roslyn Rd through Wandana Dve. Trying to turn right from Scenic Rd into Wandana Dve at busy times can be hard enough without such a huge increase in traffic. Also the intersection of Thornhill Rd and Roslyn Rd is becoming very dangerous. Really need a roundabout there. No high density living PLEASE!

8. Wow just wow! For the residents in Wandana I would be speaking to both of your local members ASAP. There is a vote coming!

   I’m near the Highton shops so I drive around this area a lot. I cannot imagine adding that much more traffic to the area.

   Although now I can start to see why the council want to redevelop Highton Village into a similar monster.

   The planning department need an investigation as to how they believe all this development is good for its residents and local fauna and flora. I can’t see any just based on common sense. Therefore it’s all about the dollars!

9. Given the proposed road accesses to the site, there is no question that basin rise and the intersection of basin rise and Thornhill road will be the main access road for these dwellings (due to its access to shopping, and freeway access in particular). This will create a significant bottleneck in traffic, in particular during school drop-off and pick-up times which will create a dangerous traffic environment for Christian College Middle school students.

   Given Basin rise is one lane each way, has residential frontages in place (and more currently in construction), the impact on a further 120 vehicles (assuming cars per dwelling average) is not practical and would overload the street usage.

10. Planning for 60 dwellings in such a small pocket of land is outrageous and out of character for the surrounding neighbourhood.
    The land is steep, the adjoining roads are narrow and therefore access will be difficult for residents, construction workers/ trucks, council and emergency services.
    Traffic reports in the plans for Basin Rise/ Thornhill Rd are based on data collected from 2015. This is very dated and not an accurate reflection of the current traffic conditions. On Basin Rise when off street parking is utilised there is only room for one car to get through. Basin Rise is not designed to be a throughfare of an extra 120 cars (if each dwelling had 2 cars).
    The Plans state, for rubbish bin collection a private mini-truck will be required due to accessibility difficulties and council being at capacity.
    Clearly the infrastructure in the area is not designed for such a high density development.

11. Concerns regarding flow of traffic and infrastructure supporting this density.

    As a resident that requires access to Roslyn rd and Thornhill rd intersection I have significant concern that the road network cannot support the proposal.

12. Developments of this magnitude are certainly not appropriate and are detrimental to any area. Clearly there has been no consultation with the community from the developer or the council planning department.
    It's just another grubby money grab, create a problem walk away and move on to the next.

13. This is an utterly disgraceful continuation of council’s continued rates grab.

    Increasing the traffic and population of these areas so dramatically adds disproportionate stress to already under serviced and outdated infrastructure.

    For months now multi dwelling developments have been approved and built on south valley road which consistently block the footpath for pedestrians and safe access/egress to residential side streets. At times I have personally been forced to walk through building sites with a pram as footpaths were blocked, Kerr side parking taken and south valley road traffic at stand still. All with no traffic controllers to be seen.

    Recent development on Bundoora Crescent of a 3 unit development on a 770 sq meter block didn’t meet even the minimum planning criteria. Objections were lodged, no changes made and still the construction has commenced with no amended plans and no additional infrastructure, such as footpaths for pedestrians at a minimum.

    Geelong council are showing a complete disregard for the character of the area that drew current residents here and furthermore, they are being willfully blind to issues of public safety that will see pedestrians hurt or killed as they are forced to walk on congested roads down residential streets that don’t even have footpaths. Brace yourselves for the public liability lawsuits GCC. You are on notice. Utter negligence.

14. No amount of community opposition to this unsuitable, high density development will stop the developers. That's the blunt truth. Developers get the building permits they want from the COGG Planning Committee almost without exception, even when the proposal doesn't conform to the planning rules. As someone has already mentioned, developers create problems for existing residents and the wider community, grab their profits and walk away. They simply DO NOT CARE. I hope the many local residents who will be negatively impacted by this development take it further if the Planning Committee - or failing that, VCAT - approve it. Crowdfund, hire legal representation for the VCAT hearing and fight it!

15. I would suggest (if this development is approved), that the only viable option for access, traffic flow and to retain the landscape that Cumulus owners have invested in, would be from James Cook Drive. I'm fairly certain the Cumulus estate, designed and developed as a collaboration between Deakin University & Barwon Water, would not have factored in removal of Native vegetation and access for an additional 60 dwellings to be built directly behind it. Surely, being in a regional city, there is enough sensible land available to redevelop?!!

16. Yet another planning disaster, showing a complete disregard to the neighborhood. Developments of this magnitude are certainly not appropriate and are detrimental to any area. The design is not inline with neighborhood character The land is steep, the adjoining roads are narrow and therefore access will be difficult for residents, construction workers/ trucks, council and emergency services
    - Tight and small turning areas for large vehicles
    - There will be traffic issues trying to pass oncoming vehicles
    - Design is not good for emergency vehicles, fire trucks etc.
    - The area has had a history of grass fires on the freeway reserve.
    - With fire trucks arriving and people leaving, traffic issues is likely.
    Increasing the traffic and population of these areas so dramatically adds disproportionate stress to already under serviced and outdated infrastructure. The drainage facilities is already poor and with the sloping site it can only exasperate the current Drainage system . Just to reiterate we strongly oppose this proposed development

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