Amendment C242
4 – 46 Province Boulevard, HightonMarch 2013
Amendment C242
Barrabool hills shopping centre 4 – 46 Province boulevard, highton
PREPARED BY
John Patrick
John Patrick Pty Ltd
March 2013
Name and Address of The ExPert
1.11John William Patrick
324 Victoria Street
Richmond Victoria 3121
Qualifications AND Experience
2.11M.Sc. Ecology (University of Durham).
2.12M.Sc. Landscape Ecology, Design and Management (Wye College, University of London).
2.13Associate Member of the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects.
2.14John Patrick has worked in the discipline of Landscape Design since 1976. He established his practice in Australia in 1980 becoming full-time in 1988. From 1980-1988 he was Senior Lecturer in Amenity Horticulture at VCAH-Burnley.
2.15In his practice John Patrick has undertaken an extended range of Landscape Architectural projects including:
- studies of Old Parliament House and Government House, Canberra;
- studies of Fitzroy, Flagstaff, Treasury, Alexandra and Carlton Gardens, Melbourne;
- provision of Landscape Architectural services to hospitals, schools, residential sub-divisions, private residences and parks etc;
- design services for the City of Sydney ‘Living Colour’ Committee including street design for the Olympic and Paralympic Games 2000, and;
- heritage studies and conservation management plans for numerous sites including Government House, Melbourne, The Domain, Eureka Stockade Parklands and Central Park, Caulfield.
2.16He is a past presenter of Burke’s Backyard, a current presenter on ABC’s Gardening Australia, a past Board Member of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne, the Garden State Advisory Committee and Parks Victoria Dandenong Gardens Advisory Board and has written or contributed to 11 books.
area of expertise
3.11John Patrick has experience in Landscape Architecture, Landscape Heritage and Landscape Horticulture.
expertise to prepare this report
4.11John Patrick is regularly involved with the preparation of Landscape Architectural schemes for residential and commercial developments and has provided expert evidence to planning panel and VCAT on many occasions.
instructions that define the scope of this report
5.11This report has been prepared following verbal instruction fromLascorp Development Group (Aust) Pty Ltd.
The facts, matters and assumptions on which the report proceeds
6.1The statement is based upon the Architectural Plans prepared for the site by Clarke Hopkins Clarke Architects and the associated Planning Report by ERM.
Documents viewed in preparing this report
7.11In the preparation of this report I have viewed and reviewed the following items:
- Clarke Hopkins Clarke; Architectural drawings for Barrabool Hills Shopping Centre Revision A, 15th Feb 2012 including:
- Site Analysis/Existing Conditions
- Design Response
- Proposed Floor plans
- Proposed Elevations
- Shadow Diagrams
- Roof Plan
- Photo Montage Images
- Perspective Images
- Environmental Resources Management Australia: Combined Planning Scheme Amendment Request and Planning Permit Application, pages 1-43, dated March 2012
- TGM Group Pty Ltd: Objection to amendment C242 & Planning Application, pages 1-5, dated Sept 2012
- Objections from various authors, dated Oct 2012
- City of Greater Geelong: Agenda, Ordinary Meeting of Council, pages 1-50, dated Dec 2012
- ClarkeHopkinsClarke, Photomontage Imagesref 09192/TP10, dated Feb 2011
Identity of the person who prepared this report
8.11The author of this report, John Patrick, has visited the site and has undertaken a visual assessment of the site and reviewed the plans prepared by Clarke Hopkins Clarke
A summary of the opinions of the expert
Existing Conditions
9.1A combined Planning Scheme Amendment Request and Planning Permit Application has been lodged by ERM on behalf of Lascorp Development Group (Aust) Pty Ltd for a site at 4-46 Province Boulevard, Highton.
9.2The planning scheme amendment seeks to rezone the western portion of the site from the Residential 1 Zone (R1z) to the Business 1 Zone (B1Z) of the Greater Geelong Planning Scheme to enable construction of a full-line supermarket of 3 200 sq. metres with associated speciality shops and shared car parking.
9.3 The site to be considered is a portion of a larger site of 10.33 ectares that currently houses the Barrabool Hills Baptist Church and is the subject of a planning permit for a residential housing project.
9.4 The portion of the site that is occupied by the Church will remain zoned R1Z, it is only the southern part of the site that is the subject of this re-zoning application.
9.5 The site of the proposed neighbourhood centre is located on rising land to the north-east of the junction of Province Boulevard and Stoneleigh Crescent. The total site area that is subject to this rezoning is 1.45ha
9.6 The site has a road frontage to Stoneleigh Crescent of 177 metres and for this length a natural stone retaining wall has been constructed that provides a strong visual presence in the streetscape.
9.7 To Province Boulevard the site has a frontage of 91.4m.
9.8 The site has been cleared of vegetation and is subject to significant slopes. Along the alignment of Province Boulevard there is a fall from east to west of 13 metres and the Stoneleigh Crescent frontage falls approximately 6.25 metres from its north-west to its south-west corner.
9.9 The site is located amidst what is generally an area of residential properties. A permit has been sought for a 41 lot residential development to the north of the site to build upon existing housing.
9.10 To the west, across Stoneleigh Crescent, new homes have been completed or are being completed. Street tree planting has been established and new gardens are being established
9.11South of the site new single and double storey homes have been established on rising ground. These homes have views across the subject site and beyond.
Design Proposal
9.12My practice was instructed by ERM to prepare a Landscape Architectural proposal for the subject site that responded to Architectural plans prepared by Clarke Hopkins Clarke.
9.13Following a site visit and analysis of the context of the site plans were prepared that were designed to achieve an effective design outcome both for the site and for the site context.
9.14A critical aspect of the design proposal was achieving effective plant growth to tolerate and modify the climate of the site’s setting, most notably the site’s exposure to strong winds.
9.15To achieve these objectives a scheme was developed that utilised masses of low growing ground-covers supplemented by trees to the site periphery.
9.16Yellow Bloodwood (Corymbiaeximia) is proposed as the dominant boundary tree to the west and south boundary. Closely related to the more familiar Lemon-Scented Gum and Spotted Gum, it is more compact in growth but retains the remarkably beautiful trunk of those species.
9.17Under-planting to the west front, above the retaining wall that has been built is in broad diagonal stripes and comprises tough emergent planted against a backdrop of a low shrub. Little Rev and Tasred Flax Lily (Dianella revoluta ‘Little Rev’ and D.tasmanica ‘Tasred’) will be combined with Mat-Rush (Lomandralongifolia ‘Katrinus Deluxe’ and L. ‘Tanika’) against a backdrop of Creeping Saltbush (Rhagodiaspinescens).
9.18Within the car park, tree planting will be located within cut-out planting spaces between parks. A total of 18 Lightwood (Acacia implexa) is proposed. This approach to planting has proved successful on other sites and should perform appropriately in this setting.
9.19An observation has been made that vegetation should be established as advanced specimens. Experience and research evidence both suggest this is not the best practice and that faster establishment and higher growth rates will be achieved by the use of plants established at a smaller size. This is most especially relevant to the establishment of trees.
9.20An alternative approach that may have merit is the establishment of boundary tree planting at an early stage in the development to ensure growth continues throughout the building process and reasonably sized plants are therefore in situ at building completion. Such an approach cannot be supported within the car park where construction activity will be intense throughout works and trees may well be damaged.
9.21Use of trees with greater mature height has also been suggested. The palette selected was considered to offer a reasonable screening capacity to the built form and car park without intruding on long distance views. At the same time, concentration of branching within the canopy was considered most likely to be successful against exposure to strong winds.
Conclusion
9.22A complete landscape architectural plan for the site has been proposed that is suited to the conditions of the setting and fulfils the functional expectations of the site.
9.23Community comment in relation to the landscape proposal has been favourable with respect to the scheme. I have addressed the few suggestions that were offered with respect to landscape.
9.24I do not view landscape as an impediment to a successful outcome for the proposed Shopping Centre development and consider that it makes an important and positive contribution.
Provisionalopinions.
10.11None.
Inaccuracies and additionalmatters.
11.1To my knowledge, there are no inaccuracies in this report or matters related to landscape assessment and design which fall outside my expertise.
11.2I have made all the enquiries that I believe are desirable and appropriate and no matters of significance, which I regard as relevant, have to my knowledge been withheld from the Tribunal.
John Patrick
John Patrick Pty Ltd
JOHN PATRICK PTY LTD| OFFICE REF: 13-112PAGE 1