Zoe Moffatt
A Willowbank Road proposed development for a local activity centre has divided Macedon Ranges residents, with some voicing their objections at the council meeting.
Macedon Ranges council invited community feedback on the development from May 8 to June 13, and received five objections and seven supporting submissions, including three from referral authorities.
The development proposes to rezone 101-105 Willowbank Road to a small commercial zone for the site to include: a small supermarket, a medical centre, office and cafés, and 57 car parking spaces.
At a meeting on July 12, one resident voiced their concerns in regards to the shop’s opening hours and perimeter fencing.
“We strongly support the use of an acoustic fence as this will assist in blocking out any noise… however, it is only a light acoustic fence [and]… we believe a heavier acoustic fence is required,” they said.
“We don’t want to hear vehicles or people continuously entering and exiting the car park next door while we’re relaxing in our backyard.”
“Lastly, the proposal said the supermarket will open at 7am everyday… we think 8am is a much more appropriate opening time, particularly on the weekends which would reduce disruption to us.”
One submitter who spoke on behalf of the applicant said the acoustic fence is inline with its use, and due to the locality of the site they anticipate the car parking to be lower than that of a typical centre.
“The proposed acoustic fence is meeting all the Australian requirements as identified by our acoustic engineer,” they said.
“It is noted that this is a local centre that encourages walking and cycling and so therefore we anticipate the car parking to actually be lower than that of a typical centre.”
Other concerns received via written submissions include: an increase in traffic, the building height and scale of proposed development, and that the application is an overdevelopment.
The support received in regards to the proposal includes: that the application is consistent with the area’s current and proposed strategic policy, that the development provides walkable access to local services and caters for this type of development demand.
