City of Ballarat councillors to meet for decision on three-lot Buninyong subdivision

The application in question is requesting a property at 3 Allan Street, Buninyong to be subdivided into three lots.

The subject site measures 3817 square metres and is currently occupied by a single storey house with a curved driveway.

Under the proposal, the three lots would measure 1815 square metres, 860 square metres and 963 square metres with another 222 square metres of common space in the form of the existing driveway which would service all three lots.

The largest of the three lots would include the existing house and would be split somewhat by the driveway while no buildings are currently proposed to be built on the other two lots which sit behind the largest.

Restrictions would also be included on the titles to the two smaller lots with no buildings to be taller than 476.6 metres above sea level, or about 6.6 metres above the highest point on the undulating lot.

The property slopes east to west, from the rear boundary to the Allan Street frontage, at an average slope of 17.56 per cent, with the steepest part immediately behind the existing house where the two additional lots are proposed.

The surrounding properties are all of a similar size, with some measuring up to 5000 square metres, while others have been subdivided, but generally into two lots with both still measuring over 1000 square metres.

Allan Street itself is a two-lane, two-way unsealed road with a landscaped median strip and no pedestrian footpaths or cycling lanes.

Further north of the area, north of Herriott Street, the lots start to become smaller as it gets closer to the centre of the township.

The officer recommendation is to grant a planning permit for the subdivision.

Council received 11 objections to the application, including around the proposal not keeping with the neighbourhood character and future amenity impacts.

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In response to the objectors, the council officer report says the two smaller lots "would not cause visual impacts from Allan Street" and any future overshadowing of neighbouring properties would be minimised.

South ward councillor Ben Taylor, who called for the application to be decided by councillors along with southern compatriot Des Hudson, said the matter needed to be determined by councillors because it could go either way.

"When the original subdivision was done, it was designed for those lifestyle properties in that area, but as changes happen and development happens, there's more pressure on to have more houses in those areas," he said.

"I can see the reason to look at opportunities for development and in that area, there have been some developments that have happened where people have gone from one lot to two lots but in this one was a little bit different where it's going to a three-lot subdivision.

"For me, personally, I think it is one of these ones that sits right in the middle, that could be a for or against and that's where I, as a councillor, will make that evaluation and make the decision on the night."

Cr Taylor said there were some "red flags" in this application.

"The reason it was called in, for me, being out in Buninyong and being a councillor out there for a long time, is you've got to protect the environment you're in and protect the neighbourhood character," he said.

"In this one, there were some red flags to say, is it actually pushing the boundaries of that neighbourhood character in the area? It was called in just because it needed to be brought to council to look at and evaluate as a collective because of the history that's there in that environment."

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