By TOM HAYES
A CHURCHILL local has raised concerns after he was told that rooming houses were being developed on the quiet street he lives on.
After his curiosity piqued, 75-year-old Peter Mortimer went to take a closer look at the development, currently under construction, noticing an abundance of piping being laid as far back as six months ago.
Upon asking a local plumber, who also lives in close proximity, Mr Mortimer was told that that amount of plumbing and the slope in the flooring was common for share house-type dwellings.
When coming across the surveyor of the development, Mr Mortimer’s suspicions were confirmed when he was told that the dwellings were rooming houses.
Not once had any residents of Emerald Court received any formal notice of this dwelling being developed according to Mr Mortimer, which he believes they should’ve been for a development of this capacity.
Also, throughout the development, Mr Mortimer has not once seen anyone appraise the area for this type of development, which he believed should be necessary.
Speaking to the Express, Mr Mortimer shared his concerns on what a rooming house could do to the quiet street of Emerald Court, Churchill.
“My number one concern is the parking of each resident, each (existing) resident (of Emerald Court) has approximately two cars with enough room for them to park their cars off the road,” Mr Mortimer said.
“Number two is who will maintain the property to an acceptable standard, and not leave the grass to grow out?
“Will there be a body that’s responsible for the behaviour of the boarders, or will they just be left to run amok?
“Does the company have a standard application for the tenants that they are excepted to be of proper behaviour and respect their neighbour’s privacy, and can (the Emerald Court residents) have a copy?”
Among those concerns listed above, Mr Mortimer was surprised by the fact there was no notice of any kind, which he thought would’ve been necessary.
The uncertainty of knowing what kind of residents will be moving in on Emerald Court also doesn’t sit well with Mr Mortimer and his wife Robyn, who moved to the quiet street to downsize.
When asked on what he would think if there were no legal issues with the development, Mr Mortimer said: “What can I do? I just want an answer as to why we weren’t informed beforehand”.
“They shouldn’t be allowed to go ahead and do these things in what is a quiet court,” he added.
Latrobe City Council confirmed to the Express that a building permit was lodged, and a planning permit is not required for the development.
“Based on our records a building permit has been lodged by a private building surveyor and the premises would also require to be registered with council under the Public Health & Wellbeing Act 2008 before they could commence operation,” a council spokesperson said.
“The house would also require registration with Consumer Affairs Vic as a rooming house.
“A planning permit is not required under the state planning provisions for a rooming house in a residential zone when a number of requirements are met.”
Those requirements include:
-The total floor area of all buildings on the land, measured from the outside of external walls or the centre of party walls, does not exceed 300 square metres, excluding outbuildings;
-No more than 12 persons are accommodated, and;
-No more than nine bedrooms are provided.
With the two dwellings across the two lots under construction, Mr Mortimer still fears that according to those provisions above, a maximum of 24 people could potentially be added to Emerald Court.
Mr Mortimer and his 76-year-old wife, Robyn moved to Emerald Court in April 2022, downsizing from their one-acre block on the other side of town – their home of 32 years.
Prior to moving to the region, Mr Mortimer had lived his whole life in Melbourne. He and his wife were the first homeowners on Emerald Court.
The developer, Stone Horizon, as well as the listed contact were contacted for comment, but did not respond.
According to the Stone Horizon website, they “help new and experienced investors invest in properly wisely”.
Their website also states: “We design, build, and manage positive cash flow properties for the investor”.
The Stone Horizon head office is located in Scoresby, south-east of Melbourne, north of Dandenong.
