Bayswater approves Airbnb trial next to primary school despite community safety concerns
Originally built as disabled accommodation, seven units will now be converted into short-term accommodation.
The City of Bayswater has approved conversion plans from property management agency Innogreen at Lot 800, 1 Manini Street, Morley, despite opposition from residents and the neighboring school community.
The units are part of nine units built on the site to provide accommodation for people with disabilities. Two units were currently leased to SDA tenants and were removed from the application.
The proposal to convert the remainder into short-term accommodation has sparked concern in the community due to the site’s location directly adjacent to it. Morley Elementary School.
Morley Primary School Parents and Citizens Association president Matthew Stokes told the council the issue went beyond a standard planning application.
“To many people this may seem like a simple housing exercise, but to the people who live here it feels like something much bigger,” he said.
Mr Stokes asked whether short-stay guests would be afforded the same level of social responsibility as permanent residents.
“A keypad and online reservation system cannot replace the sense of responsibility and community that comes from neighbors knowing who each other are,” he said.
Morley resident Tamina Stokes said neighboring properties were afforded greater privacy protections from the school.
“Other adjacent neighbors were given privacy. The school was not given privacy,” he told the council.
Ms Stokes argued that children were particularly vulnerable because the council’s complaints processes depended on adults reporting problems.
“Kids don’t have access to this,” he said.
“Due to the vulnerability of children, everything has additional protection, including schools and child care.”
He called for more security measures, including glazing or screening devices on windows overlooking the school oval.
“They can put these 45 (degree) slats so they face forward onto the street but not facing the kids,” he said.
Ms Stokes said there could be many risks in unhosted short-term stays.
“It’s very short term, very rapid, high turnover, no accountability for who is actually staying on the property, no management in place, a school directly adjacent and overlooking the school,” he said.
Morley resident Emma Zollo said the council would be “incredibly irresponsible” to approve the proposal given the current housing crisis.
“So many individuals and families in this market who cannot find homes to rent or do not have the capacity to purchase are using these units for STRA in such a community-oriented area,” he said.
Residents also raised concerns about children’s safety and privacy, arguing that some apartments may have a direct view of areas where children play.
Katherine Kissack, parent of a pupil at Morley PS, allegedly Airbnb The website’s owners had begun offering the units as short-term rentals before the city approved them.
He said that the autistic child and other students will use the school’s oval area for sports activities.
“The allocated oval is located adjacent to the apartment complex. By law, children are required to participate in sports activities on this oval, there is also a sandbox just a few meters away from the complex, and syringe needles have been found in this sandbox in recent weeks,” the delegation said.
innocent green Director Arian Gorjy said the company was seeking temporary approval while it waited for SDA tenants to occupy the units, and argued that the short-term stay model included stronger behavioral controls than many long-term tenancies.
The management plan included guest limits, identity verification, 24-hour complaint contact information, security cameras in common areas and indoor noise monitoring technology.
House rules prohibit parties and antisocial behavior; Violations result in immediate action.
“I write them a message on the Airbnb app and say, ‘You violated the house rules, your reservation has been canceled. If they don’t leave within 15 minutes, I call the police,'” Mr. Gorjy said.
The council unanimously approved the application but Cr Nat Latter extended the approval period for the units from 12 months to six months.
“The reason I am changing the approval to six months is because there is a draft policy on short-term rental accommodation in the city that has been put out for public comment and will be coming back to the policy committee soon,” they said.
“I want this to be reconsidered when we put the new policy in place.”
The applicant must also revise the management plan to include specific procedures for responding to complaints of antisocial behaviour.
The council has also encouraged the owner to consider installing invisible glass in windows overlooking the school oval to improve privacy and will work with Morley Primary School to ensure staff have access to complaints procedures and management contacts should problems arise.
A proposal to ban all visitors to the property was rejected after some councilors said it would affect guests, including disabled people who receive support from family members or carers.
