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A controversial development that attracted more than 100 public objections has reluctantly been given conditional approval by an inner-city council, as the mayor says that proposed state government planning changes are “sidelining community input”.
The development at 531-535 Hampton Street, Hampton, was granted a permit by Bayside City Council on Tuesday night under the condition that the building would be reduced from five storeys to four, and that its setbacks would be increased.
The council received 112 formal objections and only two letters of support from the public about the Hampton building. Height was a major concern, along with non-compliance with design overlays and inadequate car parking spaces.
Resident Dianna Ohlrich, who lives near the proposed development and spoke against it at the meeting, said the development wasn’t suited to the Hampton community.
“There’s actually been a lot of development in Bayside … at three storeys. Mostly it’s respectful and everyone wins. But this is not that. This is excessive,” Ohlrich said.
“[The community] are not anti-development at all. We understand the need to build more houses,” she said. “We just want the development to be within the boundaries of the plans.”
The Hampton Street site currently has a preferred height limit of three storeys, but no enforceable maximum. An eight-storey limit has been proposed by the state government through its draft activity centre map for the suburb. The program aims to encourage higher-density housing in areas with strong public transport links.
Multiple Bayside councillors expressed dissatisfaction with the proposed state government changes during Tuesday’s meeting. Councillor Geoff Leigh said the council debating the permit was a waste of time. “The [state] government is going to make a decision. There’s nothing you can do about it,” he said.
Mayor Debbie Taylor-Haynes said the council was not in control of planning decisions, encouraging the community to lodge their objections at the ballot box at the state election in November.
In a separate statement on Thursday, Taylor-Haynes said the decision to grant the amended permit was made after careful consideration of community concerns.
“The Victorian government’s proposed activity centre program overlooks the valuable insights and local understanding that our community brings,” she said.
“By sidelining community input, the program risks erasing the unique character of our neighbourhoods and diminishing the voices of the people directly impacted by these changes.”
A state government spokesperson said the decision to grant a permit was a council matter, but stressed the need for more homes to be built in the area.
“Suburbs like Brighton and Hampton shouldn’t be locked up for a lucky few … We make no apologies for unlocking housing right across the state,” the spokesperson said.
Urban Planning Collective director Hugh Smyth, who spoke on behalf of applicant Niu Town Pty Ltd at Tuesday’s meeting, said the proposed development was modest in comparison with the state government’s proposed planning amendments.
“It will provide a moderate increase in residential density to support a more diverse, inclusive, affordable and sustainable housing market in Hampton,” Smyth said.
A planning permit for a four-storey building on the same Hampton Street site was previously issued to Niu Town in 2021. Although Bayside Council sought to limit this permit to three storeys at the time, the decision was successfully appealed at a VCAT hearing.
That permit expired in July 2023 before any building work began. Developers later bought a neighbouring storefront and increased the area of the development.
Hampton business owner Lindsay Barnes, who runs SeaLight Soap & Candle two doors down from the proposed site, said she was supportive of the development. It has been classed as mixed use and will include apartment and retail spaces.
“Often as small business owners, [we are] in a feast or famine type of situation, where we’re dependent on foot traffic. We’re dependent on a vibrant local community,” she said.
Barnes, who has lived and worked in Hampton for a year, said well-designed developments would help revitalise the strip. She acknowledged that her viewpoint probably differed from many other people living in the Bayside area.
“People that have houses that are adjacent to the … proposed development have been living in a little bit of a fantasy world,” Barnes said. “Hampton benefits from investments … now we have to give back a little bit.”
Monica Kerlin, a Hampton resident and member of the Bayside Heritage Group, said the planned development failed to embrace the heritage of the existing building. The Hampton Street site does not fall under the Bayside Council’s heritage overlay, although demolition of the shopfront was listed as a concern raised by residents.
“It’s part of the fabric and the history … it’s something that’s unique,” Kerlin said. “If you’re doing something without really knowing the area, you’re missing out on an opportunity to really know the context and the community,” she said.
Kerlin was similarly critical about the eight-storey limits that have been proposed in the area. “It’s like the government is trying to punish Bayside,” she said.
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