Council Minutes - Town of Cambridge

COUNCIL MINUTES
TUESDAY 20 DECEMBER 2011
their proposed development on the attached plans that I have dated and signed on the
18 th of November 2011.
However, this is subject to the owners of the adjoining property to the back of 7
Southport Street, West Leederville who also use the easement confirming that they
accept the development proposal and that there may be a period when the easement is
unavailable for a short time when it is replaced during construction.
Also the above acceptance is conditional on the replacement and construction of the
existing easement in its full length with a suitable material to our satisfaction as the
owners of 7 Southport Street, West Leederville.
In response to this comment, the applicant is seeking letters of support to the proposed
development from the owners of No. 158 Railway Parade and No. 160 Railway Parade who
also use the easement.
Comment
General
The subject site is zoned Commercial under Town Planning Scheme No. 1 and is located within
the West Leederville Precinct (sub-area Southport Street Commercial Area) under Policy 6.5:
Precinct P5 - West Leederville. This policy has guidelines for plot ratio, vehicular access,
building height and setbacks, which are used to assess developments in the precinct.
The subject site is also located within the study area for the West Leederville Planning and
Urban Design Study, more specifically the Southport Street Node. Council, when adopting the
West Leederville Planning and Urban Design Study in December 2010 decided that until such
time as the requisite Scheme amendments are in place, Council will use the study as a guide
when assessing development proposals, in particular where Council discretion is sought. This is
consistent with Clause 38 of the Scheme which states the Council is to have regard to any
approved planning study, amongst other considerations.
In this regard, the proposal has been considered against the provisions of Town Planning
Scheme No.1 (in particular Policy 6.5: Precinct P5 - West Leederville), and also the intent,
objectives and proposed development controls of the West Leederville Planning and Urban
Design Study (specifically for the Southport Street Node). In addition, some reference has been
made to the report in this agenda proposing amendments to Policy 6.5 to reflect the West
Leederville Planning and Urban Design Study.
Land use
Under a Commercial zoning, the land uses proposed (office and restaurant) require planning
approval. The proposed offices would be compatible with the surrounding land uses and the
proposed cafe would be a benefit to both workers and residents in the wider locality. The
Southport Street Commercial Area is currently dominated by low to medium scale office
buildings although there is some presence of retail. There are few businesses in the locality
which cater for workers' morning teas, lunches and the like. Council has, however, recently
approved a nine storey mixed use development comprising offices, multiple dwellings, a café
and a newsagent at Nos. 3-5 Loftus Street, West Leederville (see DV11.23 - 19/04/11 Council
minutes).
In addition, the West Leederville Planning and Urban Design Study identifies offices and cafes,
especially with alfresco facilities, as preferred uses for the Southport Street Node.
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