A proposed 15-storey mixed-use development in Davey Street has drawn public objections as Frankston continues to test the limits of its new city centre planning controls.
The planning application for 8 Davey Street, Frankston, seeks approval for partial demolition and the construction of a 15-storey mixed-use building, including dwellings and a residential hotel.
The application also includes works, signage, and a proposed reduction to the number of car parking spaces required under the Frankston Planning Scheme.
The proposal is listed under planning application 84/2026/P, with Frankston City Council identified as the responsible planning authority. Planning Alerts recorded the application on 4 February 2026, after it was sourced from council’s website.
The application has not been approved.
Residents raise concerns
Public comments lodged through Planning Alerts raise concerns about the scale of the building, traffic, parking pressure, overshadowing and residential amenity.
One objector said the proposed 15-storey height would affect surrounding buildings through reduced light and increased traffic, while also raising concerns about the proposed reduction in car parking.
Another objector raised concerns about weekend parking demand around Davey Street and Nepean Highway, particularly when nearby venues and foreshore events increase pressure on the area.
A third objector said the scale of the proposal raised concerns about parking, traffic congestion, construction disruption, overshadowing, wind impacts and the co-location of apartments with a residential hotel.
The comments were lodged publicly and marked as delivered to Frankston City Council through Planning Alerts.
New planning controls face early test
The proposal comes after the Victorian Government approved Planning Scheme Amendment C160fran on 11 April 2025, implementing the Frankston Metropolitan Activity Centre Structure Plan into the Frankston Planning Scheme.
Frankston City Council said at the time the change would support growth and transformation in the CBD and surrounding area, while providing greater confidence and certainty around land use, business, housing, movement and the city’s overall look and feel.
The broader State Government activity centre planning framework identifies Frankston as one of the centres expected to help deliver more homes in established areas close to services, jobs and public transport.
The Frankston Activity Centre Plan says the Frankston Activity Centre and surrounding catchment can contribute at least 4,000 new homes, with built-form outcomes in the activity centre to be guided by the Frankston Metropolitan Activity Centre Structure Plan.
That places the Davey Street proposal within a wider debate about how Frankston should grow, and how larger developments should balance housing supply, investment, parking, traffic, design and existing residential amenity.
Council assessment still to come
The application remains a planning proposal and will need to be assessed through the normal planning process.
Any objections lodged with council are expected to form part of that assessment before a decision is made.
The key issue for council will be whether the proposal meets the relevant planning controls and policy objectives for Frankston’s city centre, including whether the height, design, land use mix and parking arrangements are acceptable for the site.
The outcome could become an early test of how Frankston’s new city centre planning framework deals with major development proposals, particularly where residents support renewal in principle but question whether individual projects go too far.
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