Willing Group reduces apartments, amends floorplans for $40m development.
Willing Property has submitted revised plans for its $40 million Mount Lawley apartment development, which has drawn criticism from parts of the community.
The Willing Group subsidiary received approval to build the four-storey apartment complex at Field Street last year, appointing Kastle to build the apartments.
Construction commenced on the development, comprising 22 apartments and six townhouses, late last year.
The developer relodged plans with the City of Stirling this week, reducing the number of apartments from 24 to 22 and increasing the plot ratio from 1.3 to 1.41.
Revisions also include a reconfiguration of the communal open space, modifications to the floor plans of some dwelling and the widening of an access lane.
Willing Property managing director Tim Willing said he expected the revised proposal to gain approval.
“Given the existing approval, we anticipate no barrier to approval of these modifications, which have been largely driven by personalisation of apartments to meet purchasers requirements,” he said.
“We have been thrilled with demand to date from owner occupiers, with 70 per cent of residences now sold and construction underway as planned.”
The end value of the apartments is estimated at $40.5 million, with a $14 million construction cost.
During the public consultation period in late 2020, 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.
The council added that though the building was one storey above the recommended height for the area, the fourth storey was set back from the street, avoiding significant overshadowing.
The City of Stirling recommended the revised proposal for Joint Development Assessment Panel approval.
A JDAP meeting is scheduled for January 18.
