Melville City Council refused to change its residential building height policy despite calls from the Melville Ratepayers and Residents’ Association for it to be revised across all houses in foreshore reserves.

The policy, introduced in 1986, limited buildings in foreshore precincts to 8.5 metres above the natural ground level. The association argued this could produce houses with steep roofs that restricted views from surrounding properties.

Council’s planning and development services report defended the existing controls, saying they were intended to prevent three-storey houses and protect privacy. It noted that loss of views could result not only from buildings but also vegetation and trees growing above 8.5 metres.

The association suggested replacing the height limit with controls based on storeys, including a maximum ground-floor area of 50 per cent of the site. Council officers opposed this, arguing it could result in less landscaping and greater site coverage.

The report also warned that limiting buildings to a set number of storeys would not necessarily protect privacy because floor-to-floor heights could vary considerably.

Council instead prepared an alternative approach that would retain the existing height controls while introducing additional measures to protect privacy. The proposal was due to be considered by the planning committee in November.