Inadequate Landscaping
Summary: Most of the development’s landscaping has been situated within the State Government’s resumption area for road widening. Following resumption this “temporary landscaping” will be removed, leaving a site with an unacceptable balance between landscaping and built form.
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City Plan Landscape Requirements: The Medium Density Residential Zone Code calls for development to have varying site cover to reduce building dominance and provide areas for landscaping 6.2.2.2(2)(d)(v). The General Development provisions PO4 calls for landscape work that protects and enhances the character of the local area. The City Plan Landscape Work policy specifically calls for landscaping to respond to the constraints of the site and to provide long term visual amenity.
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Proposed Landscape Outcome:
- The street frontage to Twenty Fifth Avenue is dominated by hardstand surfaces and service cabinets at ground level, leaving no opportunity for meaningful planting. There is an opportunity to relocate some services and bike storage further inside the site adjacent to the driveway, by reconfiguring or reducing the above ground parking.
- The landscaping proposal to Twenty Fifth Avenue relies almost entirely on street trees in the nature strip, instead of trees being accommodated on site. Council will condition a footpath along the Twenty Fifth Avenue frontage. The applicant has not demonstrated there is sufficient room for trees substantial enough to soften the visual impact of 14 storeys in addition to the footpath. Neither have they offered certainty that the power lines which currently conflict with existing trees on that nature strip can be relocated.
- Landscaping to the western boundary is sacrificial, being inside the state government road widening setback area. Post resumption the proposed trees will be removed and the remaining ground level vegetation will be concealed behind a solid wall.
- To provide the level of streetscape amenity envisaged by the City Plan and associated City Policies additional deep planting areas must be provided on both street frontages within the site itself. Additional deep planting is required to ensure that post resumption, the development retains a generous amount of deep planting and trees to soften the built form.
Conclusion: The proposal treats landscaping as sacrificial. It would be unconscionable for council to approve this in full knowledge that the long term outcome will be poor for future residents of the building and future residents of the city.