At the Council Meeting on July 19, Council will consider an amended development proposal for 70 Camp Street, now known as 31 Houston Street.
Earlier development proposals for the site were for “Skybarrels” and later, “Shacks”. The current plan for group accommodation on the site consists of five elevated dwellings with maximum heights somewhat reduced from the original proposal.
The matter is currently before VCAT because of a Council failure to determine the application within the prescribed time.
Council will consider a recommendation from Council officers to support the amended plans subject to conditions one of which requires that all buildings have an elevation of 9.0m or less above ground level. Other conditions include restrictions on vegetation removal, roadworks and parking, bushfire management, water, stormwater and sewerage management.
At the meeting on July 19, Council will also make a recommendation on another application before VCAT for a development at 106 Torpys Lane, Glenlyon. Again, an application was lodged at VCAT because Council failed to make a determination within the prescribed time. The Charlies Road glamping application is also at VCAT for the same reason.
Dr Leanne Howard has a PhD in landscape and community heritage and spoke to The Wombat Post on behalf of the Daylesford District Historical Society. She is concerned about protecting the heritage value of Cornish Hill as part of our local heritage and because of its importance to the Goldfields World Heritage application which is being developed.
“There has been little opportunity for a heritage voice to be heard on this issue,” said Dr Howard. “Because Council didn’t deal with this matter in the first place, it has been hard to find an avenue for comments. Unless we now go to a three day VCAT hearing, our voice may not be heard.”
Cornish Hill is on the Victorian Heritage Inventory, a list of know archaeological sites in the state. It is not yet on the Victorian Heritage Register but it is a component of the World Heritage application.
A VCAT hearing on the matter has been set for July 25.
Related stories:
