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25 Comments

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1. The height limit in Eltham is 4 metres. Also are they providing enough parking on site? Dudley Street is quite narrow and parked cars on the road would inhibit traffic. We cannot sustain many more people in Eltham as the traffic is already bad and and the public transport is insufficient.

2. Five stories are way too high for Eltham and 82 dwellings are way too many. Five stories will create a visual wall across the hillside, lowering property values of those that will have this 'eyesore' as a view. Almost 30 trees are to be removed, some of them over 50 years old. This will change Eltham's landscape dramatically.
   How will the roads and sewerage cope with all of the extra people and traffic? The traffic is bad enough at the moment. Dudley street is quite narrow, there is a school and heavy traffic as it is now! Will the safety of these children be considered with the extra traffic? How will we be able to access our local supermarkets, restaurants and Farmers market? I feel our streets will be full of parked cars, this will become dangerous. Bible street is bad enough now!

3. With the recent announcement of inadequate changes to
   Bolton st - it is obvious that we cannot accomodate more traffic/people in this area.
   Eltham is famous for its trees & environment - we are not Box Hill & nor should we ever be.
   The plans for 25 Arthur street are completely inadequate in regards to lack of parking, vegetation removal & height.
   I object to the whole thing.

4. We choose to live in Eltham for the hills, greenery and trees. The sense of small community in a beautiful suburb..... The 5 story dwelling WILL RUIN Eltham!
   Its impossible to drive on Bible Street as it is now with the traffic thanks cars parked on both sides of the street and new apartments and townhouses...
   Please DO NOT APPROVE this build!
   Eltham will no longer be a "pretty suburb" if you can see a huge building smack bang in the middle of Main Road

5. NO, NO, NO, we do not want 5 storeys high in Eltham. Why spoil a pretty place. We, the general public are fined for cutting trees down,why should these developers be able to destroy our local landscape. Traffic is a problem now, just look at Bridge St and Main Rd especially at peak times. Why spoil our town.

6. I agree with all the comments made regarding this application
   5 stories and 82 dwellings is ridiculous in our green wedge suburb
   What has happened to our green wedge status
   Apparently our council is longer holding up these values
   Money seems to be guiding our council -- we elected a new council recently but they are just continuing the previous councils disregard for our environmental issues
   More and more trees are being ripped down and units being built thus creating crowded streets
   Please rethink this application

7. This is ludicrous - Eltham is not the place for multi level units! Please do not approve this! Save our beautiful town from this destruction of character. The infrastructure will collapse with high dwellings being constructed, not to mention how out of character this will be. Surely we should be aiming to preserve what makes Eltham so special. if you think people won't have cars living close to PT you are grossly mistaken.

8. This is not an objection to infill development - this sort of thing is the only way forward as far as accomodating growth and people, and it can be (but rarely is) done intelligently. BUT - these developments should only be approved if they retain all mature trees to offset the visual impact (also local character, heat island, ecology, runoff etc) and that 80% of these dwellings can accomodate families. This comes up all the time in general discussions about apartments, and in a place like Eltham it's utterly moronic to not include this, because I refuse to believe that 82 dwellings on that footprint can hold 3 - 4 bedroom apartments. Because that is what is required here. So close to transport, schools, shops, you genuinely could live in a building like that, in a place as removed as Eltham, and not need a car. But if you can't fit families in there, what the hell is the point of it?
   Also, there should be a carbon offset consideration and/or footprint offset. That is, for every square metre that take up for building they need to fund greening another publicly accessible park space (per square metre) that can be accessed by residents of said building.

9. Five stories is nothing short of ridiculous for the area. It is not at all suitable for the character of the area, and will create an imposing structure and a visual barrier in the hilly terrain.

   Also, in an area that is already suffering from shortage of parking due to recent developments, asking for waivers on parking spaces is out of line. Usage of triple-decker mechanical car stackers for residential parking sounds more like high-density inner-city Japan than the suburban fringe Eltham is.

   Further, the removal of all native trees, including some large gum trees, is not acceptable. Landscaping is practically non-existent.

10. This 5 storey bricks and motar eyesore development has the potential to "choke" the Eltham town precinct which is supposedly in a "green wedge" Shire. What a blatent contradiction! Thumbs down!

11. I cannot believe anyone would want to clog up the middle of Eltham with a totally inappropriate 5 storey development like this. How can they think they can get away with removing all vegetation, it is unbelievable. I am sure you would not be able to build a house taking up the whole site if it was a normal sized building block..
    Why should they get a waiver of car park spaces, and as for triple decker mechanical car stackers, I can't think of anything more revolting, especially in Eltham.
    The effect on the already crowded roads would be horrific.
    PLEASE SAY NO TO THIS DREADFUL PLANNED EYESORE!!!!!!

12. No way. There are already traffic issues in Eltham and this particular area. Five storeys and 82 dwellings is way too much for that size block. The apartments are tiny. Not to mention the reduced parking, which is also already an issue. This will have a hugely negative impact on traffic and parking issues. Eltham is known for its greenery and natural, spacious environment, this type of development will ruin everything that is special about Eltham. It is not in an inner city suburb, we don't want people living on top of each other.

13. Unfortunately the "sky scrapers" are going up very quickly. I want to know at how they obtained their permits without having planning boards being posted for objections earlier on in the project.
    Well, we can count on one thing, the council certainly does not like to protect Eltham and its heritage. Only driven by the corporate dollar again.
    One quick note, I wonder if the people who don't object, would they like the "Sky scrapers" next to their properties?

14. Fully agree with the comments posted above. If I wanted to live in an area dominated by 5 story developments I would have moved to Box Hill. I choose Eltham because it was unique. That development sets an ugly precedent that will change the character of Eltham. I hate to think what the traffic will be like in that area and also along Main road and Bible Street.

15. No way!! Please Nillumbik Shire don't let anymore developments like this be approved in Eltham. I can't think that any of the residents voted in the recent Council elections with the hope that horrible high density developments would be approved to change our beautiful suburb forever. Stop before it's too late!!!

16. Developments should add to the character of a neighbourhood, not detract from it.

    Increasing traffic and parking congestion through over development, and removing the very trees that attract so many people to Eltham in the first place, seems to be at odds with improving the amenity of Eltham.

    Medium density housing like this is necessary, but please ensure that it is built in a manner sympathetic to the site it is on.

17. The mere idea of a 5 storey building consisting of 82 units in Eltham is the most inane I have come across. Eltham cannot sustain more traffic without supportive parking.
    Please NO,NO, NO to ruining our beautiful Eltham!!!

18. Has Nilumbik Shire Council fundamentally changed the planning requirements in Eltham for new buildings? The whole reason we moved into the district was for the limited development status. We choose to live in this part of Nillumbik Shire, and pay the high rates, to maintain a certain lifestyle. Why was this development approved, and by whom?

19. This development for Eltham Town is unexcepable because:
    A precedent is set for more developments of this type.
    The impact on flora and fauna will be enormouse. Birds are generally territorial so will die. The planet is already being stripped of vegetation at an alarming rate.
    The impact on already unacceptable levels of traffic, particularly at peak and school times.
    If this type of develment is allowed to go ahead the ethos of Eltham as a semi-rural suburb will be lost.
    THIS IS NOT PROGRESS

20. Let's be clear.
    We pay the second highest rates in Melbourne. So we should have a say on what gets built. I really don't want Sydney style housing development coming into my town. So please STOP this development from going ahead.
    Surely some elegant townhouses would suffice!!

21. This is an outrage in our beautiful shire.
    Is there enough parking on site? Dudley Street is narrow and parked cars already using the road inhibit traffic. Traffic in Eltham is already bad, particularly Bible Street and public transport is insufficient.
    82 dwellings are far too many. Five stories will create a visual barrier and be an 'eyesore'.. Almost 30 trees are to be removed, some of them over 50 years old. This will change Eltham's landscape dramatically. The trees are why so many people choose to live in Eltham. We are supposedly the green wedge suburb.
    This could have a huge impact on traffic near the Primary School. How will the safety of these children be considered with the extra traffic? It was very chaotic when the shopping centre was rebuilt several years ago.
    Will access to local supermarkets, restaurants and Farmers market be affected? These are all well used by Eltham residents and visitors.
    Recent waivers of parking allocations seem to continue to make life very difficult for existing workers and shoppers in Eltham.
    Looking at the plans surely these apartments do not meet the standards for such dwellings. It doesn't appear that many of the rooms (including bedrooms and bathrooms) have any natural light and/or ventilation

    New development should surely ad to the neighbourhood character, not destroy it.

22. This proposal should not proceed. The proposal is totally out of character for the neighbourhood (both from a height and density perspective), results in the removal of a substantial amount of vegetation in an area already challenged, and does not provide adequate parking.

    I personally suspect the applicant wants 3-4 stories and has requested this absurd request, with the intent of appearing to compromise, for what they always intended! NSC, remain strong. We don't want this kind of development in our special town.

23. I think Tim H has called it. The process is based on a developer making a case for their project and seeing how it goes.

    You can find information on the Eltham township plan on the Nillumbik website - http://www.nillumbik.vic.gov.au/Planning-matters/Townships/Eltham - and also download a range of source documents from VCAT, which the township plan is based.

    Nillumbik staff provide information on request but demonstrate an ambivalence regarding outcomes, impacts, or really getting involved. There is no doubt a professional reason for this. However, it does make discovery feel like a "black box" that operates on the basis of "all care, no responsibility" where cash is more highly valued than community.

    That said, I'm not sure what can be done to actually have the council conform with their own planning guide for the township. The face of the town is changing and we need to remain conscious of how this type of development will affect that change.

24. Peter Clarke (architect) was elected (purely on preferences of other council candidates) and has an agenda to 'develop' Eltham. Currently there is 140 apartment complex soon to be started off Arthur street, and a handful of 10-12 apartment terrace and apartment buildings going up, and this development will make over 250 apartments under construction within a 3 block radius. Eltham population is only 22,500 and we do not have the infrastructure to support an additional 500+ people in the centre. For all the reasons mentioned by previous posters; parking, congestion, beautification, one of the highest council rates in Victoria, and the fact there has never been a 5-storey building in Eltham and this proposal is for two buildings and a reduction in parking, I am against this whole-heartedly. This particular block will be developed regardless but I feel there should be a height restriction of no more than three stories. Overall I am against any further residential medium density developments until current demand is filled by those buildings currently under construction and the general surrounding infrastructure has been tested with the demands of increased traffic and parking.

25. I agree
    We have always had height restrictions so now its changed since the the last 2 council election's
    Coincidentally we now have an architect on council.
    What happened to our green wedge
    I'm afraid for our leafy once quiet suburb.

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