Melbourne residential property developer Steller Lifestyles has taken their application for the 281-unit village at Bittern on the Mornington Peninsula to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) after the development was opposed by about 40 residents.
The council had already knocked back their application to build 440 units at the same site, which is on the eastern side of Frankston-Flinders Rd.
Residents had voiced concerns about the development’s high density, its impact on the area’s “village feel” and the sudden growth in population in an area with only three roads.
A loophole in zoning allows developers to put high-density units in a low-density area if they are part of a retirement village.
Land lease developer Lifestyle Communities is currently constructing 209 units (pictured) on the western side of the road which is zoned as low-density.
Bittern resident Allan Winning told the local paper that while the developer was promoting the site as affordable retirement accommodation, many residents saw it as a “caravan park without wheels”.
The case is now set for a mediation hearing on 6 June.
If the application is approved, the project would be a new direction for Steller which specialises in low-rise developments ranging from 20 to 40 apartments.
