March 2018:
The AIDA committee routinely reviews all planning applications made to the Surf Coast Shire that are within our area of interest – Urquhart Bluff to Eastern View. In the rare instances where the applications are significantly outside the Surf Coast Shire planning scheme or covenant requirements and would be detrimental to the local character or set a precedent, the AIDA committee sends an objection to Council.
At times, these applications proceed to a VCAT hearing and AIDA will often choose to support its objection at VCAT. It has been some time since this happened but late last year there were two applications that proceeded to VCAT.
One of these was in the Fairhaven Estate, overlooking the Painkalac Valley, where there was an application to build outside the site’s prescribed building envelope. (All blocks in the estate have building envelopes, which were negotiated when the area was subdivided to protect the environmental and landscape qualities of the area and views from each block.) Our objection was supported by some community members and the Surf Coast Shire and was successful, with the owners being able to make alterations within the existing building envelope only.
The other VCAT hearing was for a site on Yandana Road, Fairhaven, where the new dwelling would break the ridge line. The Surf Coast Shire and local residents also objected. We await a decision on this matter.