Council approves plans for IOOF housing site

Central Coast Council has approved an application to convert the former IOOF aged housing site in Springwood St, Umina, into a manufactured home park.

However, the proposal was regarded as "interim" with plans that "the site will be comprehensively developed in the medium term", according to a Council assessment.

The approval provides for the 12 existing cottages to be retained and 16 manufactured homes to be added.

Nine of the new homes will be one-bedroom and seven will be two-bedroom.

An existing disused hall will be converted into two units suitable for self-care seniors.

The proposal approved by Council on December 4 will protect three remaining residents who have life tenancies under a current lease agreement.

The application was submitted by Peninsula Village Ltd and is expected to cost $1.8 million.

The existing single bedroom cottages were built for aged accommodation on the 8808 square metre site by the Independent Order of Oddfellows Friendly Society in 1959.

In 2010 Council refused an application (DA 15511/2002) to demolish the buildings and build 20 new aged care units, because of the social impact on the existing residents and the lack of alternative housing.

The property was purchased in 2016 by Peninsula Village, which is the Peninsula's largest aged care provider.

The proposal includes landscaping, tree removal and an upgrade of the internal driveway.

The Council's Development Assessment Report said: "It is apparent that the existing cottages are nearing the end of their usable life.

"The applicant has advised that the site will be comprehensively developed in the medium term, which is why relocatable manufactured homes are proposed, to provide a less permanent solution that allows for the site to be upgraded and provide increased housing in the interim."

According to the report, there were three submissions, two of which did not object to the development but wanted to ensure there would be suitable canopy/shade trees and protection of existing trees.

The other submission expressed concern that the pre-fabricated housing would look like a "cheap and nasty trailer park" and that it would not be used for senior housing and instead be for low-income residents which could create safety issues.

The report said that appropriate conditions were in place to ensure the site was used for seniors housing and noted that the landowner and applicant, Peninsula Village, was a registered not-for-profit company and established seniors housing provider with 40 years' experience in the industry.

SOURCE

DA Tracker, 14 Jan 2020

DA 56718/2019, Central Coast Council