City gives $34m Rivervale apartment green light

Boutique property developer Dragon Century is set to receive the green light to construct a $34 million apartment building on the banks of the Swan River.

The development application, lodged by urban planning consultancy Planning Solutions on behalf of the company, seeks approval for a 15-storey building featuring 123 apartments, a shop, restaurant, office and health studio on a 2,826 square metre vacant lot on Hawksburn Road, Rivervale.

The site is located within ‘The Springs’, a high-density area already characterised by apartment buildings and commercial tenancies.

The site has been earmarked for a mid-rise apartment complex for some years, with a joint development assessment panel in 2015 approving a nine-storey apartment building.

But that approval was not enacted and, as a result, has since expired.

Despite this, 22 surrounding landowners opposed the development during the public consultation period, claiming the proposal exceeded the prescribed height limit and had the potential to overshadow neighbouring properties.

The City of Belmont has reviewed the plans, including concepts designed by MJA Studio, and recommended that the JDAP grant the proponent development approval, subject to a suite of conditions.

In a report lodged to support the recommendation, officers from the city’s planning department argued that while the application proposed variations to the local planning framework, the proposal was of a high quality and could be accommodated without negatively affecting neighbouring residents. It recommended conditions be applied to address the concerns of residents.

The Metro Inner-South JDAP is expected to consider the plans when it meets next week.