View to be killed

By CASEY NEILL
A NEW high-rise proposed for Ferntree Gully Village will destroy views of the hills and must be stopped, according to resident Graham Crichton.
He is leading the charge for a Knox City Council decision on the four-storey building to be delayed until a structure plan guiding development can be created for the area.
“The structure plan must be developed so that it is approved by the community after full and open consultation with the community,” he said.
The project would include 38 apartments, four offices and a restaurant at 44 Station Street, known locally as the Straubs Garage site.
“It would obliterate the views of the Dandenongs people in Ferntree Gully believe are theirs and for future generations,” he said.
“It would signal the end of the ‘village atmosphere’.
He said there had been no consultation with residents and many were not even aware that the application was with the council.
Knox’s Foothills Planning Scheme is designed to limit development to maintain amenity and views of the hills in Ferntree Gully, Upper Ferntree Gully, and parts of Boronia.
But it does not cover Ferntree Gully Village – this is why a structure plan is needed, Mr Crichton said.
“It would have a height and density standard built within it,” he said.
He said some buildings in Ferntree Gully were “old and derelict” and areas needed rejuvenation.
“There will be development, no doubt about that,” he said.
“But it needs to be in context with the environment it’s part of.”
In a letter to Mr Crichton on 28 June the council’s city development director Angelo Kourambas said the proposed development was “subject to the Knox Planning Scheme, which does not capture all the inherent and diverse values exhibited in Ferntree Gully Village” and this was a problem for the village.
“If they know it’s a problem, why haven’t they done anything about it?” Mr Crichton said.
He urged other concerned residents to contact the council and sign a petition at Ferntree Gully Authorized Newsagency in Station Street.
More than 800 people have so far put their name to the call for a structure plan.
Mr Crichton is also appealing to Planning Minister Matthew Guy to put a hold on the application until a structure plan is created and was to meet with his adviser at the site today (Tuesday).
Mr Kourambas told the Mail the council recognised the community’s interest in planning matters for the Ferntree Gully Village and work was underway to guide the area’s future.
This includes a streetscape master plan, involving community consultation.
“While our work does not currently take the form of a full structure plan, the knowledge is helpful in what our next planning steps should be,” he said.
Mr Kourambas said the application at 44 Station Street would be exhibited for community comment “once all the necessary information is received from the applicant”.