A Lifestyle Communities land lease development planned for Cowes, on Victoria’s Phillip Island, has narrowly been rejected by Council, citing overdevelopment and crowding concerns.
280 homes were proposed for the 12-hectare site on currently undeveloped land in Cowes, including 277 unregistered sites and 23 other sites, plus a clubhouse with amenities such as lawn bowls, croquet lawn, and pickleball court.
“As locals and those who have fond memories of visiting Phillip Island, you’ll know that no two days are the same. Life at our Cowes Beach Club will be no exception,” Lifestyle Communities boasts on its website.
“One day you might take the 350-metre wander to the beach to enjoy the sunset; the next could be the day you head out into the bay on your community boat. Yesterday it might have been lunch with new friends and family overlooking the ocean.”
However, Bass Coast Shire Council received 15 objections from residents.
“280 residences on this site will be virtually wall-to-wall built environment with inadequate green space and certainly no large trees or areas of credible habitat,” one local wrote.
Council voted 5-4 against granting a planning permit for the site; as reported in the Bass Coast News, one councillor said the houses would be “so tightly packed you can hardly fit a flower pot between them”.
The beachside tourist town already has a land lease community, Palm Lake Resort Phillip Island, approximately 4km from the proposed Lifestyle Communities site.
