MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire have approved an amendment to the Martha’s Point Retirement Village development permit despite 61 objections from the community.
At the 29 September council meeting, councillors voted to approve an amendment to an existing permit for 165 Osbourne Drive, 594 and 602 Esplanade in Mt Martha.
The changes replace the previously approved two-storey, 108-room aged care facility with 32 single-storey independent living units and a communal building.
The communal building will include a cinema, lounge, multipurpose activity space, and outdoor BBQ area.
An approved vehicle access point will be replaced with a pedestrian walkway to provide access to the Esplanade and foreshore.
Local residents raised concerns over traffic, noise, privacy, environmental impacts, waste, lighting, neighbourhood character, density, and emergency access.
Cr Paul Pingiaro said the 61 objections deserve to be acknowledged.
“But council has also got to compare this proposal with what’s already approved,” said Pingiaro.
Pingiaro said the existing approval is important to consider as council is not starting with a blank slate.
“There is already an active planning permit on this site for a 108-room, two-storey residential aged care facility, and that is approved,” said Pingiaro.
He said the amended proposal is “of lower scale and a less intensive build form outcome than the existing approval”.
“If council refuses this amendment, it doesn’t necessarily result in the site remaining undeveloped,” said Pingiaro.
“The existing permit remains active, and the applicant may still be able to proceed.”
Cr Patrick Binyon also supported the amendment and said he thought the reduction in height from around nine metres to approximately four metres was a good option.
He noted the correlation between the aged care services the shire provides and the retirement village.
“It really comes down to that social connection, and we know that that’s such an important part for our elderly residents, so yes I am supportive of this,” said Binyon.
“The plans provide for a communal centre, including walk-in access to the foreshore, which helps those residents to be independent, and the scale has been reduced.”
The proposal requires the removal of 0.252 hectares of native vegetation, which is less than the original approved plan.
The amendment requires the permit holder to secure a native vegetation offset, as well as an inspection of vegetation for fauna before removal.
Cr David Gill, who voted against the motion, said he wanted to reiterate the concerns that had been raised.
“These matters should always be aired,” said Gill.
“It’s not a small matter, this sort of development.”
Pingiaro said the proposal had been significantly reduced from the original plans and noted 83 per cent of residents at the existing retirement village supported the revised plan.
Objectors have 28 days to appeal the shire’s decision to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
First published in the Mornington News – 13 October 2026
