Gisborne residents have raised the alarm over urbanisation risk in plans to increase the approved 768-lot Ross Watt Road development by 93 homes.
Developer ID_Land seeks to add an 8.998ha residential village with 220 units, manager’s residence and village amenities in the north-west of the site.
A ‘trade-off’ would be a reduction in the standard residential lots from 768 to 641 lots, but it results in an overall development size of 861 dwellings.
The property at 89 Ross Watt Road is situated between the Rosslynne Reservoir and the Calder Freeway, northeast of Gisborne town centre.
Plans have attracted nine submissions with objectors fearing the changes were too drastic from what was originally approved.
Jayne Guilmartin told Macedon Ranges Shire councillors the amendment was more than “just a tweak”.
“This is a major increase. A high-density village at the centre was never part of that plan. It’s out of character for that area and risks setting a precedent for even more development later on,” she said.
“It will mean more cars, more traffic on Ross Watt Road and Station Street and extra pressure on medical services and other facilities that are already stretched. It also changes the look and feel of the development.”
Ms Guilmartin said the plan squeezed more homes in without consideration of the consequences for residents and the environment.
“Allowing this kind of high-density development chips away at the vision for Gisborne and really risks turning it into just another outer suburb of Melbourne,” she said.
“It’s a big step away from what was originally agreed. It hasn’t been properly looked at as a whole and it doesn’t respect the semi-rural character that makes Gisborne special.”
Fellow objector, Daniel Middlemast said he had moved to Gisborne 12 years ago to raise his family away from the suburbs, and was now concerned Gisborne could become one of them.
“It will be an absolute (population) boom,” he said. “Gisborne is supposed to be a town, not a suburb.”
ID_Land’s applications form part of the existing Rosalia development that already has some stages under construction.
A development plan for 89 Ross Watt was approved at the direction of the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal in July 2023. Macedon Ranges Shire Council originally objected to plan.
ID_Land sought to amend the plan to allow for the residential village in October last year and has since appealed council’s failure to make a decision within 30 days at VCAT.
There are now three active VCAT cases between the council and ID_Land relating to the Rosalia development: the development plan amendment, a staged subdivision, and the proposed residential village.
ID_Land state lead for Victoria, Alex While, addressed councillors at a planning delegated committee hearing last week.
“While we consider that the permit applications for the subdivision and development of the residential village are generally in accordance with the existing approved development plan, the council has taken a different view, and we have therefore applied for an amendment,” he said.
“ID_Land has sought opportunities to resolve any concerns outside of the VCAT process before lodging these applications.”
Mr While said a residential village was permissible and that traffic modelling had suggested less traffic impact on the town than the previous proposal.
He said that was based on an expected lower level of activity from the typical type of demographic to live in a residential village.
“The proposal for a residential village was on the original plan but there was insufficient information at that time to endorse it. It has always been a consideration,” he said.
Macedon Ranges Shire Council is expected to determine its position on the matter this month.
