A home must deliver low-cost living

I am astounded that the consultant engaged by the developer of 4 Piper St, Woy Woy, is totally disregarding the R1 General residential zoning constraints (Peninsula News edition 455).

Firstly, ceiling heights are required to be 2.7m, not the 2.4m submitted, supported by the argument, "The proposed ceiling heights will not result in any appreciable loss of amenity to the residents."

What if owners want to install ceiling fans?

This is particularly relevant in the upstairs bedrooms where they are an absolute necessity in our increasingly hot summers.

They further argued that "open stairwells with voids above ground floor entry vestibule space" makes up for the lower ceiling heights.

I urge Council to refuse this point because such voids create even more problems during winter because any space heating used in the ground floor will disappear into these voids and increase energy costs for the residents.

Heat loss, like this, can be easily avoided by containing stairwells and providing a means of closing them off.

This should be encouraged in all two storey designs.

The consultant wants to flout the minimum setback citing that, "The proposed setbacks do not compromise outdoor recreation space, privacy or amenity either for the residents or neighbours".

What about solar access?

There's no mention of this in the application.

Furthermore more, the multiple roof angles in the design make the installation of solar panels impossible.

The cost of electricity can be greatly reduced by householders installing roof top solar panels and the maximum can only be installed on roofs with a single, northern face.

There are many other important sustainable design features that appear entirely neglected in this uninspiring and pedestrian design: No mention of common areas suitable for a vegie garden, no mention of living areas facing north, no shading of windows facing north, no mention of recycled watering systems for common gardens and so on.

Much of the problem is the totally unsatisfactory building constraints that are applied by the Central Coast Council.

They need a complete reworking to include a far higher efficiency rating, at least eight stars that give residents the maximum amenity and lowest operating costs.

Council's Central Coast Affordable and Alternative Housing Strategy emphasises the importance of low cost housing including not only affordable purchase prices but also low operating costs.

A home is a machine that must be designed to deliver low cost, efficient living for its inhabitants.

Using passive solar principles will ensure the best possible outcomes.

Developers, trying to squeeze the most profit from their plans that flout even the most basic amenity regulations, are even more unwilling to implement these simple and low cost improvements.

They cost very little more but deliver a much better result for home owners.

Email, 16 Oct 2018

Gregory Olsen, Empire Bay