They were also allowed to skirt the usual requirement to widen the adjacent Lyric Laneway. They would have had to widen it by 1.5m under the planning scheme, but were instead given concession for a minor 0.5m widening under the justification there was an electrical transformer in the way.

I understand the justification for this is a transformer which has since been moved, but i dont think the people of Maylands, businesses and ratepayers alike, understand what is so special about that town centre.

It is because that centre is reasonably pedestrian friendly and reasonably car unfriendly that Maylands is so attractive as a town centre. I mean its basically 200 metres either side of the railway station plus Eighth avenue, and its associated laneways, its a very walkable area, with a fair residential density in and around that area.

Demanding laneway widening is another step to undermine that strength Maylands has. It specifically creates a car sized environment, instead of a human scale environment. If anything the centre of Maylands should be enacting policies creating a human scale environment. That means smaller laneways are preferable.

Long story short, re-exempt them from the lane widening, on the grounds of creating a human scale Maylands.