Hello everyone,

On 13 November, the City of Darebin will decide a town-planning application for 159 Collins Street, Thornbury. Council’s town planning department has recommended this proposal be approved in its current state and so the applicant has made no changes at all. Because of your impressive support thus far (with 37 written and 134 online objections submitted), the decision now falls to elected Councilors, who must decide whether to allow or reject the development. To halt the project, we need five out of the nine Councilors to vote against it, so it’s crucial that we maintain the pressure. We’re nearly there! Here’s how you can help:

1. Email Councillors to voice concern - a list of contact names and numbers can be found HERE

 2. Attend Darebin Council’s Planning Committee meeting to show strength in numbers. The meeting details are:

 When: 6.30pm, Monday 13 November 2023

 Where: Darebin Council Chamber, 350 High Street, Preston.

The application is to replace the single-storey period weatherboard with the following “South Yarra”-style development:

4-storey dual-occupancy with bulky buildings taking up most of the site; 
turntable underground parking for 4 cars, excavating almost the entire site up to neighbour’s boundaries damaging their homes; 
a total of 8 bedrooms, 8 bathrooms, 2 swimming pools; and
2 roof-top open-air terraces overlooking the entire street. 

The land itself was purchased for more than $1.5 million, so once built these will not add to “affordable” homes in our area. 

The ‘brutalist’’ style and scale of the proposed development with its bulk, limited setbacks, limited landscaping, flat roof, dual cross-overs / driveways is not compliant nor in keeping with the pre- and post-war character of our neighbourhood. Newer housing built in recent years has retained our neighbourhood’s style. The development will overshadow neighbouring houses and prevent solar access and therefore is inconsistent with the council's stated goals of promoting sustainability and reducing its carbon footprint.

We are seeking Council to comply with its own Darebin Planning Scheme which states that Collins Street and the surrounding Thornbury streets are an “Incremental Housing Change Area”.

If this development is approved unchanged, it will serve as an unwelcome precedent, with more buildings like this to be built, leading our community to lose its characteristic housing style and locals to lose any sense of privacy and amenity. 

Please help us to save our street and what we love about Thornbury.

For more information please call: Lisa 0425 767 135