Approval for five townhouses

Optima Developments has gained approval on behalf of the owner of 13 Warrigal St, Blackwall, to demolish the house and build five town houses in its place.

Central Coast Council approved the development application on April 24 despite the private open space failing to meet its minimum requirements and the minimum height for habitable rooms being 2.45m instead of the required 2.7m.

The applicant noted that ceiling heights at 2.45m within the ground floor and bedroom one of the proposed dwellings were less than the 2.7m minimum required for habitable rooms.

"However, heights in the first-floor main living areas consist of raked ceilings with height variations from 2.81m to 3.62m,'' the application said.

"It is considered that the proposed ceiling heights will provide suitable amenity to occupants and are also in compliance with the Building Code of Australia."

Units 2, 3, and 4 have less than 41 square metres of private open space when 50 square metres is required but the remaining dwellings exceed the requirement at 97.82 square metres and 79.83 square metres.

The applicant said the non-compliance with the control was considered acceptable as the design included two living areas at each level with the principle living area at the first-floor level and the total balcony area for each unit was "a generous 17.72 square metres which should adequately compensate for the minor shortfall in ground floor minor open space".

SOURCE

DA Tracker, 26 Apr 2019

DA 54895, Central Coast Council