Council Minutes - Town of Cambridge

COUNCIL MINUTES
TUESDAY 20 DECEMBER 2011
Plot ratio
For the Southport Street Commercial Area, a plot ratio of 1:1 is permitted under Town Planning
Scheme No. 1 (see Policy 6.5: Precinct 5: West Leederville). This equates to 718m 2 of net floor
area. The plans show a net floor area of 1172m 2 , or a plot ratio of 1.63:1, which is 454m 2 more
net floor area than the Scheme requirement.
Council has discretion under the Town Planning Scheme to approve additional office floor
space outside the above policy requirement. As with the previous recent approvals in the area
(eg. No. 3 Loftus Street), the increased plot ratio can be supported, being in keeping with
desired planning outcomes for the area for the following reasons:-
The prominent corner location of the site warrants individual consideration. The subject
site is a key site in Cambridge, being situated on the corner of Railway Parade and
Southport Street;
The proposed development will result in a widened easement that is used to access the
rear car parking areas of Nos. 158 and No. 160 Railway Parade and No. 7 Southport
Street and will also be used by No. 156 Railway Parade;
The proposed development meets the proposed development controls for the Southport
Street Node outlined in the West Leederville Activity Centre Plan, including building
height, street setbacks, design elements, and parking and access.
In relation to the last dot point, the West Leederville Planning and Urban Design Study does not
specifically address plot ratio, but rather, deals with built form: building height and setbacks.
However, it should be noted the proposed changes to the West Leederville Precinct Planning
Policy (Policy 6.5) to incorporate the provisions of the West Leederville Planning and Urban
Design Study includes provisions for bonus plot ratio in the Southport Street Node. The draft
policy identifies a bonus plot ratio of 0.2:1 for ceding of land (or secured via an easement) to
sufficiently allow effective widening of rights of way to allow for two-way vehicle traffic, and a
bonus plot ratio of 0.2:1 for placing parking for the development in car parks located behind
street front tenancies allowing for active street frontages. Therefore assessed against the draft
policy, the plot ratio requirement for this development could be 1.4:1 rather than the current
policy requirement of 1:1. The maximum permissible net floor area under the draft policy would
be 167m 2 less than what is proposed.
It is considered that a consistent approach to plot ratio is desirable and therefore the maximum
plot ratio for this site should be limited to 1.4:1 meaning the applicant would have to reduce the
net floor area of the building by 167m2. A reduction of this amount would have a consequential
effect on car parking by reducing the required bays by 5.
Building design, height and setbacks
Policy 6.5 (Precinct P5: West Leederville) of the Town Planning Scheme Policy Manual states
that corner buildings should be at least 9.0 metres in height to promote strong urban form and
that facades should be contemporary in design, articulated and detailed in order to provide
variety and interest. Entrances are to be distinct and clearly identifiable within the building
façade. Awnings are also to be provided with preference that they extend over the footpath to
protect pedestrians from the elements. In addition, the policy states that in order to promote
strong urban form, buildings should be built up to the street alignment and side boundaries.
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