A JUDGE has reserved his decision on an appeal by the Friends of Guildford Historical Precinct against the JDAP approval of the redevelopment of the Guildford Vaudeville Theatre following a hearing on June 14.

Last year Friends of Guildford Historical Precinct (FGHP) was formed to apply to the Supreme Court to appeal the decision to approve redevelopment of the vaudeville theatre mostly due to concerns about the lack of parking in the area.

The Guildford Hotel website shows The Hall (the former Vaudeville Theatre) is a “revitalised open plan space seemingly (integrated) with the charming outdoor courtyard, beer garden and in sight of the new kids’ playground”.

The appeal application lodged by FGHP on November 3 said the grounds for the review included that in granting approval the Metro Outer JDAP erred by failing to require any onsite parking to be provided, contrary to the requirement of regulations and failed to consider the adequacy of parking required by regulation.

Also the application said the JDAP erred by failing to consider that the applicant made reasonable effort to comply with minimum on-site parking and also failed to require payment in lieu of parking or shared parking both required by regulation.

Another ground for the application said that the JDAP erred in the exercise of any discretion and failed to have regarded submissions made as required by the City of Swan town planning scheme.

When JDAP considered the proposal on September 26 last year it included comments from the city’s design review panel and State Heritage.

“The proposed design is an exemplary outcome that breathes new life into a heritage building in a restrained and sensitive manner and will help to activate Guildford’s historic main street,’’ the city’s design review panel said.

“The proposed development will have an overall positive impact on the registered places and on the James Street streetscape,’’ State Heritage said.

But at the JDAP meeting the Guildford Association raised concerns about the linking of the development application to the Guildford Hotel, with particular reference to parking issues in the area and that resident concerns had largely been ignored in the responsible authority report (RAR) prepared by the city.

In relation to traffic, parking and access the RAR concluded city staff were prepared to consider the application, which encompassed both the existing hotel and the former vaudeville theatre on the basis it entailed no increase in traffic generation or parking demand subject to imposition of a condition on the planning approval that limited the total number of patrons within both premises at any one time to no more than 729 persons.

A transport impact statement prepared for the redevelopment said to encourage other modes of transport the proponent had previously partnered with rideshare providers to offer discounts to their patrons.

“The parking survey has shown that there is sufficient available off-site parking spaces to accommodate the proposed redevelopment,’’ the statement said.

“The location of the site has also made it viable for employees and patrons to be encouraged to use alternative modes of transport, such as public transport, walking and cycling.

“The site is currently located within walking distance of the train station and a bus stop located rear of the site.

“The site is also in the vicinity of an excellent pedestrian and cyclist network.’’

In Poste Cafe owners explain their decision to close Michael Noonan said they had been alarmed to witness the fate of those attempting to restore the Guildford Hotel, another historic landmark in the vicinity – a business attempting to breathe new life into the heritage precinct reported in Review of JDAP decision sought in Supreme Court.