IT’S the sustainable apartment development with no parking or airconditioning that can only be bought by owner-occupiers and sold for restricted profit — and now it’s set for Fairfield.

Darebin Council has approved a planning permit for Nightingale 2.0, a six-storey 20-apartment development backing on to the train line on the corner of Station St and Railway Place.

The permit for the controversial project narrowly passed, with Mayor Vince Fontana using his casting vote to support the proposal after the eight councillors were stuck in a deadlock.

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The proposal received 42 objections and 202 letters of support, many of which came from a template on a Nightingale 2.0 website.

Six Degrees Architects, which designed the project, cut down a list of 1000 interested buyers to 53, from which the group will use a ballot system to pick buyers for the apartments.

Six Degrees director James Legge said the group was pleased the development got the green light.

“It was down to the wire, it was a very close call but it was great that it went through,” Mr Legge said.

Darebin Appropriate Development Association spokeswoman Maria Poletti said the development was concerning, despite welcoming its seven-star energy rating environmental credentials.

media_camera An artists’ impression of the Nightingale 2.0 development in Fairfield.

“It’s a real concern that we continue to have this imbalance with more one and two-bedroom apartments being built and we’re losing family housing options,” Ms Poletti said.

She said the group was also concerned the lack of parking would result in owners and visitors parking on the street, increasing traffic and choking local roads.

“It just looks like Darebin just ticks whatever comes in without actually measuring it up against the standards,” she said.

Rucker Ward councillor Trent McCarthy said the project “raises the bar” for sustainable developments, and welcomed the plan to go car-free.

“As someone who has been highly critical of parking waivers being given to developers, this is probably the first time I’ve seen a genuine effort by an applicant and owners to go car-free,” Cr McCarthy said.

“There’s already a permit for a five-storey office building at this site, so replacing it with a well-designed, low carbon, transit-oriented residential building is a positive outcome.”