Truganina apartment development given green light

(Damjan Janevski) 255196_01

By Matthew Sims

Another piece of the puzzle of a $300 million development of Truganina’s town centre has come into place.

At Wyndham council’s planning committee meeting on Tuesday, April 11, council passed a motion to grant a permit for a three-storey apartment building comprising 28 dwellings

and a reduction of four visitor car parking spaces at 190 Woods Road in Truganina.

Costing five million dollars, the development would provides a high-density residential development adjacent to the future Truganina town centre, which will take advantage of access to services and infrastructure, including a future train station.

Town planning consultant Phillip Rygl, who addressed the council on behalf of Fortuna Truganina, said the applicant also owned the broader precinct which would make up one half of the future Truganina town centre.

“It will deliver much-needed housing affordability and diversity,” he said.

“We’re proposing quite a number of one and two-bedroom apartments, together with a small number of three-bedroom apartments.

“This is one piece of the puzzle and that puzzle was over a $300 million investment by our client.”

Wyndham councillor Josh Gilligan said the application’s removal of car parking spaces encouraged more active transport usage.

“We want to reduce car dependency where it is safe and applicable to do so,” he said.

“We want to be making it really clear that we are a responsible authority that encourages high-density development and send a message to the development industry that applications such as this are welcome over single-storey development.

Speaking against the motion, Cr Robert Szatkowski said the application had failed to take into account the necessary utilities for residents and the nearby area.

“I think it’s a degree of arrogance by the developers to design this from the start not taking into consideration the obligations to provide certain amenity to the lot,” he said.

Cr Mia Shaw said the application was a “terrific high-end development”.