Ward councillors vote for Farnell Rd approval

All three Peninsula ward councillors have voted to approve the Farnell Rd development, disappointing nearby residents and members of the community group Save Our Woy Woy which had been fighting the proposal.

Crs Chris Holstein, Richard Mehrtens and Troy Marquart voted for the development along with seven other councillors and mayor Cr Jane Smith.

Crs Kyle MacGregor and Jillian Hogan abstained from voting and Cr Louise Greenaway was the sole councillor to vote against it.

Cr Rebecca Gale Collins declared a less than significant non-pecuniary interest in the matter saying she was in contact with the Peninsula Chambers of Commerce.

She chose to remain in the chamber and to participate in discussion and voting. However, she said nothing when the matter came up for debate.

Residents had hoped for a different outcome after airing their grievances with three councillors and the mayor at an-site visit in the days before the council meeting.

Cr Holstein said the issues had been addressed in the conditions of consent and that consolidated development had a lot of potential.

He thanked Mr Harvey McDougall of Save Our Woy Woy, saying the development was better for the input from the residents and that their comments at the meeting on site had been sensible and rational.

Cr Mehrtens said it was the third iteration of the proposal.

He said he knew there were variations to council guidelines but they had been minimised.

The residents complained about overshadowing from the three-storey development that included 27 units and seven townhouses to be built over five blocks consolidated along Blackwall Rd and Farnell Rd.

The development exceeds guidelines for height, floor space ratio and setbacks.

Some units and one communal area fail to get the minimum required solar access.

Residents complained about garbage, parking, light pollution, loss of privacy and infrastructure issues such as stormwater and drainage.

Another development, this time a new house at 64 Fishermans Parade, Daleys Point, also received council approval at the same meeting.

It too had been deferred for a site inspection. It went through with a unanimous vote.

SOURCE

Central Coast Council agenda 2.1, 13 May 2019