"Difficult to come to terms with": 11 years on, Warrnambool council approves long-disputed housing plan

After 11 years of false starts and objections, a controversial 12-dwelling project in central Warrnambool has finally secured council approval despite reluctance from councillors, who say their hands were tied by new state planning laws.

The Nicholson Street development, which includes four three-storey dwellings at the rear of the site, is set to be the first of its kind in Warrnambool. 

Originally lodged as a 14-lot proposal in 2014, council CEO Andrew Mason confirmed the application had gone through “multiple iterations” across the past decade in an effort to meet compliance requirements. 

Council officers ultimately imposed 37 conditions on the permit, aimed at addressing concerns around privacy, parking and rubbish collection.

Despite a unanimous vote of support on Monday night, councillors made no secret of their discomfort with the outcome.

“It is difficult to come to terms with the fact that we’re going to have such high density buildings in our city, which we haven't really had before,” Councillor Debbie Arnott said during the meeting. 

“We must acknowledge that we are a city that’s facing a critical housing crisis, and our supply of housing is virtually nil.”

The application was submitted before Victoria’s recently overhauled Clause 55 came into effect, now known as the Townhouse and Low-Rise Code. 

Introduced earlier this year, the code allows for streamlined approvals of multi-dwelling developments that meet strict, measurable standards, cutting out council discretion and removing third-party appeal rights, like VCAT, in the process. 

This means nearby residents will no longer have the ability to object to council with their concerns.

Councillor Richard Ziegler warned that rejecting the application could have led to a worse outcome for residents, if “the proponent of the permit actually decided to go for [a new] permit with the new requirements of Clause 55”.

“If we grant the permit now, that ability is taken away, and we are going to get the best of the worst for the objectors,” Ziegler said.

Despite the unease, councillors agreed the time had come to approve the build. 

“It is a dormant site,” Councilor Billy Edis said. “It has sat as an empty block of land for a long, long time and we need development within the city.”

Councillor Matt Walsh said councillors “can't shy away” from the city’s urgent need for housing. 

“Development of this nature is needed, and this site is perfect for that,” he said.

Questions remain about when construction will begin and how nearby residents will be affected once the city’s first three-storey homes rise above their rooftops.

Header image: An aerial shot of the subject site. Credit: Warrnambool City Council