Monash Council has refused to issue a planning permit for a 10-storey apartment and retail complex in Atherton Road, Oakleigh after the proposal attracted more than 500 objections from local residents.

Monash Mayor Stefanie Perri said the council, its planning staff and the local community were united in their view that the proposal was at odds with Oakleigh’s character.

A concerted campaign against the development in recent months saw residents raise major concerns about the scale of the development, its impact on traffic and on-street parking, and loss of privacy.

“This building would have overpowered the lovely neighbourhood character of Oakleigh. It would have stood out like a sore thumb,” Cr Perri said.
“Oakleigh is generally characterised by low-rise buildings, with a few strategic sites where taller buildings are seen as appropriate.”

Cr Perri added that while the developer had the option of appealing the council’s decision to the Victorian Civil Administrative Tribunal, she hoped cooler heads would prevail.

Oakleigh Ward Councillor Bill Pontikis told Neos Kosmos that the development failed to comply with the council’s planning framework that guides the scale of development within the Oakleigh Activity Centre.

“Council heard from its residents and I supported the officer’s recommendation to refuse this application,” said Cr Pontikis.
“I would encourage the developer to speak to council officers in determining a more suitable, lower-scale development for this site.”

Fellow councillor Theo Zographos, who owns a property close to the site, said the proposal was “completely out of character with the area and if approved by VCAT, will ruin Oakleigh forever”.