Residents of Melville protest high density housing

By Vanessa Wee Concerned residents of Myaree and Melville are continuing to protest plans for a high density development built in their community. ‘Striker’ is an indoor cricket centre that will be demolished and replaced by high-rise apartments but the community is strongly against the plans and has been protesting for more than 18 months. Residents signed petitions and held meetings with the council which resulted in the original plans for a four-storey development with 90 units becoming three-storeys and 84 units. Despite those changes, it appears the final decision made by Melville’s Development Assessment Panel might not be in the protesters’ favour. “Everything we’ve done about planning have all been thrown out by the Development Assessment Panel. They don’t have any accountability,” said Marina Hansen, a committee member of the protest group. “It is changing the face of the suburb,” she said. With only one and two bedroom apartments being planned for the complex, residents fear the new development would encourage younger people into the community, creating parking and noise issues. “With the new development, all that noise and traffic would come inevitability. It’s not what we (the residents) here signed up for,” said Vicki Eatwell, a 21 year resident of Mullings Way. Residents of Myaree say they are not anti-development, but did not expect a building more than 11 metres high to be built in their area. “Townhouses one or two-storeys high are fine, not apartment buildings,” said Miss Eatwell. “All we want is a quiet and peaceful community, how it always has been.” The residents of Myaree are still fighting and hope that the final decision made by the Development Assessment Panel will help prevent any changes to their peaceful community.