The development of a three-story residential hotel in Westmeadows has been given the green light by Hume council.
At the Monday, August 11 council meeting, councillors heard the proposed planning permit from the applicant, Joel Fredman of Fredman Malina Planning, which was first received Tuesday, September 19, 2023.
The proposed development will cover a site area of 3183 square metres and a site coverage of 1174.95 square metres, which is 36.9 per cent of the total site.
The subject site is currently occupied by a single-storey home and swim school with on-site parking.
The location previously received approval in 2013 from the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) for a 42-room residential hotel, which was never acted upon and has since lapsed.
Speaking at the August 11 council meeting, Cr Karen Sherry said she believed the hotel would be beneficial to the local economy in southern Hume.
“The restaurants along Mickleham road will receive more patronage as a result of a short stay accommodation there in Western Avenue,” she said.
Cr Naim Kurt spoke against the motion and said he did not know “if the proposal does in fact meet our clause 55 of our planning schedule amendment”.
“A three-storey building with 36 apartments in a precinct where households probably don’t go anything beyond two levels is perhaps an overdevelopment in the extreme,” he said.
The proposed development was also criticised for its size, almost meeting the 11 metre allowable height for development, at 9.6 metres.
“I’m not sure how people would feel having a three-storey structure towering over them in their backyard,” Cr Kurt said.
He also pointed out the proposed development’s distance from the public transport network and business district.
“It’s not within the public transport network. It’s not close to restaurants, it’s not close within walking distance. Anyone who’s going to be using that facility will be driving there and they will be driving out of there and they will be seeking places to park.”
Cr Kurt was the only councillor to vote against the proposal.
