Funny Objection Issues

[Ideo]

As most people know I'm a consultant town planner. Deal a lot with a lot of different councils.

One of the highlights/lowlights is dealing with public submissions/objections on developments.

I've been engaged to provide a letter supporting a property owner who wants to build a new two storey house in a beachside suburb. As per usual the local progress association objected, as did the next door neighbour (they had a valid reason regarding poor quality overshadowing plans, but a lot of meaningless noise as well) but someone from about 10 houses up the street objected.

They stated that a two storey, modern house was not in keeping with the character of the area and would dominate the surrounding houses and should be refused. A personal opinion, all well and good. But perhaps let down a little by the fact that their own house was a 3 storey white concrete and glass monstrosity that dwarfed every surrounding house and is by far the most dominant structure in the street.

Any other developers/planners/architects have some corkers?

 

[Harro]

As most people know I'm a consultant town planner. Deal a lot with a lot of different councils.

One of the highlights/lowlights is dealing with public submissions/objections on developments.

I've been engaged to provide a letter supporting a property owner who wants to build a new two storey house in a beachside suburb. As per usual the local progress association objected, as did the next door neighbour (they had a valid reason regarding poor quality overshadowing plans, but a lot of meaningless noise as well) but someone from about 10 houses up the street objected.

They stated that a two storey, modern house was not in keeping with the character of the area and would dominate the surrounding houses and should be refused. A personal opinion, all well and good. But perhaps let down a little by the fact that their own house was a 3 storey white concrete and glass monstrosity that dwarfed every surrounding house and is by far the most dominant structure in the street.

Any other developers/planners/architects have some corkers?[/

What is your "GUT" feeling on what the local council will say?

 

[Ideo]

Approval.

It complies with all LEP controls, FSR, height, setbacks etc etc.

If it is refused we go to Land and Environment Court and will probably have costs awarded due to it being an unreasonable refusal.

 

[letiha]

They are developing a block across the road from my in-laws into a 10 x 2 bed unit complex....on each side are similar complexes one of which is a housing commission owned in a fairly expensive suburb.

I laughed when i read a submission from a housing commission tenant complaining about how the development would effect "their" unit and sating that the area wasn't suitable for that type of development...hmmm if you don't like it go buy your own place.

 

[Harro]

CHANGE is hard to accept at times. This probably explains the neighbours objections.

 

[Aaron_C]

We had an objection from a woman who lived 20km away from the development...some people are just ridiculous.

 

[lizzie]

If I'm guessing rightly - I really like that white and glass, 3 storied house one in from the corner in a popular beachside suburb.

Not quite sure what they mean about not keeping in with the neighbourhood - surely the large rendered and glass places outnumber the cutesy miner's cottages by now.

I'm sure MichaelW has some doozers

 

[Ideo]

We had an objection from a woman who lived 20km away from the development...some people are just ridiculous.

Ouch. One of your high end medium density ones?

I got plenty of objections on things when I worked at the Department of Planning (mines, coal seam gas etc) from people a long way away which kind of makes sense. But for residential development? How sad do you have to be?

If I'm guessing rightly - I really like that white and glass, 3 storied house one in from the corner in a popular beachside suburb.

Not quite sure what they mean about not keeping in with the neighbourhood - surely the large rendered and glass places outnumber the cutesy miner's cottages by now.

I'm sure MichaelW has some doozers

You're guessing wrongly, but I think I know the one you mean.

Think sleepy instead of popular

 

[devank]

Our backyard neighbour argued for privacy as we have bay windows at the back. Council asked us to remove the see through glass!
We argued that we want to be able to keep an eye on our kids when they play in our own backyard! They approved.

 

[perthguy]

Not a consultant town planner but I do read objections to council every now and then. I have seen overshadowing as an objection. I think that is reasonable.

A standard one is "the development will devalue my property" from people who have no understanding of markets and just don't like the proposed development.

Worst I have seen is "the development will block my views" ... sorry, but you don't own the views.

 

[Macca]

Worst I have seen is "the development will block my views" ... sorry, but you don't own the views.

I find this interesting, my neighbour has just altered his renovation plans because the person across the road complained that a 2 storey building would block their water views.

What is the legal situation on views in Port Stephens Council area ?

 

[perthguy]

I find this interesting, my neighbour has just altered his renovation plans because the person across the road complained that a 2 storey building would block their water views.

What is the legal situation on views in Port Stephens Council area ?

I'm not sure. The ones I have seen were in WA where there is no protection of views.

 

[Ideo]

I find this interesting, my neighbour has just altered his renovation plans because the person across the road complained that a 2 storey building would block their water views.

What is the legal situation on views in Port Stephens Council area ?

The principles of view sharing are established by the Land and Environment Court in Tenacity Consulting v Waringah Council and set out what needs to be considered.

Views are not a enshrined right, and if the development is in compliance with the controls then there is very little that can be done to stop them. A lot depends on where the views are from and whether they are sitting or standing or from where in the house they are from.

 

[westminster]

One of mine that I received:

Objection: Southern boundary wall (WIR on parapet)

The southern boundary to our property is a feature, with planter boxes on either side along the boundary and a water feature built in front of a central patio area.

The proposed boundary parapet wall would have the following effect on the southern boundary of our property:
- the southern boundary to our property would look symmetrically out of balance - the water feature is centrally positioned, with the planter boxes on either side of the southern boundary. A parapet wall to part of the boundary would visually alter this symmetry.

In the end we actually did get rid of the WIR and converted to a BIR because that way I didn't have to deal with the objection from the other neighbour about another parapet wall.

 

[Scott No Mates]

I'll have to confess to being a serial objector - if you ask for my opinion, I'll give it.

I have raised the usual objections - overshadowing, loss of privacy (and recommend solution of windows over 1800 mm from FFL or obscure window over 1500mm) but occasionally I will pull out a corker like affecting the nesting areas of the powerful owl (one of our locals), obstruction of the view corridor.