Northern Midlands Council divided over Evandale shipping container home design

Katrina French's planning application to Northern Midlands Council led to a flurry of letters sent to the council by local residents which claimed the dwelling is not in keeping with the village's historic character.

The application was was discussed at the council's July 17 meeting and led to an initial gridlock as councillors were split on whether to approve the application.

The application received more than 20 responses from nearby residents.

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Ms French said that the council was aware of her plans from November 2022.

An identical letter sent by a number of residents claims the design "does not protect or enhance the unique history and character of Evandale."

It says the building can be viewed from certain streets and "is not compatible with the existing streetscape settings, building form or the rural character of the village."

Another letter to the Council's planning team complains that the application does not "complement the aesthetics of Evandale."

Another letter says "any approval of development of this nature could 'open the floodgates' to other inappropriate developments which contravene the intent of the heritage precinct".

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The template letter sent by a number of residents also raised concerns about "due process".

"The building has been in place since December 2022 and in the 6 months prior to the planning application ... works have continued without any information or opportunity for public comment," it says.

Ms French said she was "a little surprised" at the response but also understood the concerns that residents had.

She acknowledged that seeing an empty block filled with containers had a "really strong visual impact" and was not like watching a house being built gradually.

She felt the concerns came from an unwillingness to see the containers on her property as a step towards the final product rather than the end result.

While her property would differ from others in the area she said she had "no intention of being offensive to the heritage of Evandale".

Ms French said once the house was complete the average person would not see that a shipping container was part of the building.

In a letter to the council addressing some of the concerns, Ms French said she moved to the area following the breakdown of her marriage and resulting financial distress.

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"If not for the small financial settlement, I would be another faceless member of the growing cohort of women over 50, facing homelessness," she said.

"To find a small block in a community such as Evandale was a blessing."

Council officers recommended that councillors approve the application subject to conditions however a motion to approve the development led to division.

Councillor Paul Terrett said he was concerned the application would set a precedent.

"Evandale is a heritage and historical town of Georgian [and] Victorian character," Cr Terrett said.

"It sets a precedence that would change the look of Evandale quite significantly if more of these types of developments are put in.

"I just could not support something that would cause such a precedent to such an historical town where only a block away, people can't put up solar panels on the back of their house because of their heritage significance."

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Councillor Alison Andrews cautioned her colleagues to be careful with talk of precedents, saying that the proposal looks at using shipping containers only as the material for a new house.

"We won't have a shipping container house when it's finished," Cr Andrews said.

"We will have a new house that has used the shipping containers as material rather than using timber or bricks or whatever, to build that new house."

She said the proposed new house was "decent looking" and was in keeping with national trends.

"I think we've got to be fairly careful to not put our heads in the sand and be aware of what's going on," Cr Andrews said.

Ms French said the issue had caused her "enormous stress".

She said she was not "trying to rock Evandale to its core", instead attempting "to build a little house and keep myself warm and dry".

The motion to approve the planning application was eventually carried.

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