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Time to fly With travel back on the cards this holiday season, Victorians can finally get out the calendar and revisit plans that were put on hold by the pandemic. For nine-year-old Flynn, top of his list is Victor Harbor in South Australia, where he can see the sights and spend time with family he hasn’t seen in months. Flynn and his family will spend a week in South Australia in mid-January, where they’ll also try to cram in a visit to the famous Port Elliot Bakery, as well as find time for a dip at the beach. “I want to go and hang out with my cousins,” Flynn said. “I’m looking forward to going to the water park.” A Melbourne Airport spokesperson confirmed they are expecting more than 2500 weekly domestic flights arriving and departing Melbourne and about 170 international weekly flights.
Flynn and his sister Amelia can’t wait to visit their family in Adelaide.
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Apartment plan ‘a blight’ By Oliver Lees An application for a six-storey apartment building in the heart of Sunbury has drawn mixed reactions, with some residents concerned the development will permanently alter the town’s character. The application for a planning permit to construct the six-storey building was posted outside 52 O’Shannassy Street last week. The advertising document specifies a plan to construct 25 apartments, a basement car park, onsite retail premises and an office. The document also states the project would lead to a reduction in car parking.
Sunbury resident Chris Lord, who lives on Station Street just a short walk from the proposed development, said the building would be “a blight on the whole landscape”. “This is a real watershed moment, there’s never been anything like this in Sunbury,” Mr Lord said. “I could understand three-storeys, but six-storeys with a lift module? You’re talking 25 metres [in height]. “That’s not in keeping with the townscape. If this precedent is set, where applications are approved for six-storey high apartment blocks, we could see our whole town change dramatically in a short time.”
In an online post about the proposed development, some members of the community shared Mr Lord’s concerns, while others threw their support behind the project. “I’d love to see it, Sunbury needs [it] and will grow more. Embrace it,” one resident wrote. Another stated they were “just concerned about parking as it’s already a nightmare”. Sunbury Residents Association president Graham Williams said given that there are currently no buildings greater than two-storeys in the township, the size of this development “seems inappropriate”. “It’s just really out of character with the
town,” Mr Williams said. “I agree there’s always a need to improve affordable housing levels, but that’s the shopping precinct, more so than a residential precinct. “The fact that it creeps into the shopping precinct, it looks like it’s going to stick out like a sore thumb.” Hume councillor Jarrod Bell estimated that the application could be brought before council some time in the new year. Submissions and objections can be made until December 14. Details: www.hume.vic.gov.au/Buildingand-Planning/Statutory-Planning/
If you’ve been injured in a road accident or at work. We can help. We offer ‘No Win No Fee’ agreements for TAC and WorkCover claims. Call (03) 9744 5519 for a free, no obligation first appointment. Located at Sunbury Medical Centre, 38-44 Gap Road, Sunbury 12523814-CG48-21