Changes to Mount Lawley apartments approved

A joint development assessment panel has ticked off on changes to Willing Property’s Field Street apartment and townhouse development, already under construction.

The development, with an end value of $40.5 million and a $14 million build cost, comprises 22 apartments and six townhouses.

The Willing Group subsidiary requested changes to the project earlier this month, reducing the number of apartments from 24 to 22, reconfiguring the communal open space and modifying some floor plans.  

A Metro Inner-North JDAP today heard that most of the modifications were at the request of the dwellings’ owners, to improve the amenity and functionality of the development.

The project was met with community opposition during its public consultation period in late 2020, where 61 of 83 submissions opposed the development.

Residents against the proposal argued that it did not align with the scale and character of surrounding housing and that it impeded on the privacy of neighbouring properties.

There were also arguments that the development did not align with the heritage requirements of the area.

The City of Stirling commented that while the proposal did not strictly conform to the built form requirements of the area, it satisfied state heritage criteria and the city’s local planning framework.

Lavan partner Paul McQueen discussed the City of Stirling’s planning provisions about setback at the meeting, but the JDAP said those issues were already addressed in the initial approval process early last year.

The modifications were approved unanimously by the JDAP, which concluded that the proposed modifications are considered minor and “appropriate in the context of the original approved plans”.

Construction commenced on the project last year, after Kastle was appointed as the builder.

The project is expected to be completed early next year.