Council staff urge refusal of four-storey development

A proposal to rezone land to enable a four-storey mixed use development on the corner of Ferry Rd and Ocean View Rd. Ettalong Beach. has no strategic merit, say staff in a report to councillors being tabled at tonight's meeting.

Planning staff have recommended council refuses the application from Wales and Associates, on behalf of owners KHMS Corporation and A Steliou.

It says the proposed development would increase the maximum building height to 15 metres across all three sites 302 to 308 Ocean View Rd.

General residential zoning allows a maximum building height of 8.5 metres.

Council said a two-storey dwelling had recently been constructed on 308 Ocean View Rd and current residential zone was appropriate for the site.

Shop-top housing is a permissible land use in the area and therefore a change in zone was not required to achieve a mixed use development.

The submitted development plans showed the proposal included childcare, gym and games room within the ground floor commercial area.

The traffic assessment report acknowledged these areas were being provided for residents of the development and not being delivered for commercial use.

"The use of the ground floor for non commercial development is not consistent with the definition of shop top housing included within the Gosford Local Environment Plan 2014," the report said.

"The exclusion of retail and business premises from the ground floor further reduces the delivery of commercial floor space within the development and is not consistent with the objectives of the B2 Local Centre Zone."

The council had requested the applicant provide justification for the need for additional commercial land with the Ettalong Beach area as the site is about 120 metres from the Galleria.

"In response to Council's request, the applicant submitted a Market Economic Assessment (MDC Property, December 2018); the Assessment provided information on the current rental rates and low vacancy rates but did not provide sufficient evidence to support increasing commercial floorspace in the area, instead justifying the zone change entirely on the supply of additional housing,'' the report said.

Council staff said the proposed increase in height and floor space ratio would allow a development that was out of character with the surrounding development and therefore would have a negative impact on the Ettalong Beach area.

SOURCE

Central Coast Council agenda 2.4, 28 Oct 2019