A family who took on – and lost – developers in a small country town have refused to leave their pleasant cottage, despite it being surrounded by a huge shopping centre.
Leanne and Rod Adams and their family still live in the shadow of the shopping center at their home in Bannockburn, 88 kilometers southwest of Melbourne.
The Adams family and three other city residents fought against the Bannockburn Central shopping center in 2017, taking their protest to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
The Adams house remains a quiet farm, despite the less than ideal surroundings…
The parental home falls in the shadow of a shopping center that is building a parking garage nearby
The Adams house is depicted with a red pin. The mall was built around it when they refused to sell their land
But in August 2019, VCAT ruled in favor of Golden Plains Shire’s permit for the shopping complex renewal after a three-day hearing.
Years later, the Adams’ home remains exactly where it always was, located across the road from a green reserve on Victor Street, near the Bannockburn Bushland Reserve.
Only now it is surrounded by the large shopping complex, which is being expanded again.
Daily Mail Australia visited Adams’ home last week and found the family still happily living next to the shopping centre.
A large, friendly dog greeted locals as they walked downtown.
Around the corner, the shopping center seems to have been embraced by the local community, where hundreds of people come by to get their groceries.
The Adams family dog greets passers-by in front of their house, which is built around the large shopping center
The clan did not respond to a request for comment
Rod and Leanne Adams continue to live in their Bannockburn home years after developers built around it
Ms Adams did not respond to Daily Mail Australia’s request for comment, but personally spoke out against the development at the tribunal.
She fought against the council’s decision to grant planning permission for the shopping centre, which is now home to a large Woolworths and other small shops.
Although the center’s large shadow and visual volume clearly concerned the Adams family, they believed this was not the case in accordance with the character of the city, existing land use and heritage sites.
They further alleged that it failed to provide adequate pedestrian connections, negatively impacted key view corridors to nearby public spaces and failed to provide a high level of urban design and pedestrian safety.
But the council claimed it had popular support, arguing it had had plans to develop the site since 2011.
The developer – a Geelong family business – agreed, telling VCAT the development was “rooted in and responsive to the zone, overlays and local policies”.
It proposed that the proposed development met the needs of a growing population and expanded the existing commercial center on the land in question.
After losing the battle, Ms Adams insisted to the local newspaper that she had never been against the council’s idea to develop Bannockburn town centre.
Adams’ house (far right) is dwarfed by the Bannockburn Central shopping centre
The shopping center is well supported by the locals
Construction of the complex is at a standstill
She just didn’t like the way it was handled, especially how close developers originally wanted to get to her property and the street itself.
Ms Adams welcomed VCAT’s change of consent to increase the distance from the Victor Street redevelopment.
“Reducing that is mainly a victory for the residents,” she says.
Then-Golden Plains Mayor Owen Sharkey applauded the decision at the time.
“We are pleased that VCAT has confirmed this decision,” he told the newspaper Geelong independent.
“It is now up to the developers to take forward the next phases of the redevelopment and we look forward to starting construction soon.”
Cr Sharkey said Bannockburn’s population was growing by 8.5 per cent every year and the multi-million dollar regeneration would revive the town’s retail sector.
The proposal would create jobs, entice residents to shop locally and attract customers from nearby towns, he said.
“Local businesses are at the heart of our economy and the new supermarket will attract more customers who will hopefully spend time and money with our small businesses in Bannockburn town centre,” he said.
For now, the property of Ms Adams’ former neighbor remains fenced after construction of a nearby car park stalled.
When it eventually opens, hundreds of cars are expected to drive past the house every day, disrupting the remaining peace.
Despite the increase in traffic, the Adams seem determined to stay where they are.