Councillors inspect Farnell Rd site

Mayor Cr Jane Smith and four councillors, Chris Burke, Chris Holstein, Richard Mehrtens and Jeff Sundstrom, attended a site inspection on Thursday, May 9, of the unit and townhouse development proposed for Blackwall and Farnell Rds, Woy Woy.

Crs Holstein and Mehrten are two of three ward councillors for the area.

The third, Cr Troy Marquart, did not attend.

Waiting in the street with placards and concerns were more than 20 residents of the street or of the peninsula.

The councillors were briefed by council staff and then heard from the residents of their concerns about the three storey development.

Community Group Save Our Woy Woy has been fighting the proposal on the grounds of it being an over-development.

The proposal went to the April 29 council meeting with staff recommending approval for the 27 units and seven townhouses to be built over five blocks of land on the corner of Farnell and Blackwall Rds, Woy Woy.

The councillors voted to defer a decision pending a site visit.

Residents say the $11 million proposal would overshadow many of the single storey homes in the street and exceeds planning guidelines for height, floor space ratio and setbacks as well as some units failing to comply with solar access and the communal open space policies.

Residents are also concerned by garbage pick-up, parking, light pollution, loss of privacy and infrastructure issues such as stormwater drainage.

The proposal is again on the council agenda for a decision at tonight's May 13 council meeting.

Save our Woy Woy spokesman Mr Harvey McDougall said the Mayor, the councillors and Council Planning Director Scott Cox listened attentively to the concerns of the residents.

SOURCE

On site inspection, 9 May 2019

Reporter: Merilyn Vale