Apartment building approved for Heathridge

AN apartment building has been approved for a suburban street in Heathridge.

The development at 50 and 52 Littorina Avenue originally proposed 14 units and was unanimously refused by the Metro North-West Joint Development Assessment Panel in June because it was considered an “over development” of the site.

The applicant appealed the decision to the State Administrative Tribunal, which resulted in a revised proposal for 12 two-bedroom units.

Yesterday the panel was invited to reconsider its decision, with a recommendation to conditionally approve the revised plans.

CF Town Planning and Development director Carlo Famiano said other changes proposed were to remove parking bays from the verge, move a storeroom closer to unit one, additional trees and landscaping and to redesign the facade “to give it more character”.

He said though they were still seeking some discretions, including increased building height in some parts, reduced upper floor setbacks, balcony areas and landscaping, removal of mature trees and a shortfall of bicycle parking bays, they were minor and mainly because of the “irregular shaped block”.

“The development meets the objectives and intent of what can be built in housing opportunity areas and it offers diversity of housing,” he said.

However, Edgewater resident Joanna Quan, who said she had been following the City’s infill journey, argued the development would still not fit in with the “existing or intended developments in the area”.

She said suburban streetscapes should be open and builtform should not be dominant.

She also raised concerns of the “building envelope” not really changing despite the reduction of units and visitor parking being reduced from eight bays to six.

Joondalup planning services manager Chris Leigh said the site suited a higher density development because it was opposite a natural area, 100m from a primary school, 200m from Ocean Reef Road and 250m from a shopping centre.

He said though the layout was similar, the revised plan included “fairly significant changes” that increased the design quality and liveability of the building and reduced its impact on the surrounding area.

He said the City encouraged one visitor parking bay per two units and with six bays proposed, this was being met.

Joondalup councillor Christine Hamilton-Prime moved to approve the revised plans.

She said while the changes “may not seem like a big deal”, she could see there would be “more room to move” and green foliage had been increased.

Panel specialist member Fred Zuideveld said the revised design was a “substantial improvement” on the original.

The revised plans were unanimously approved.