Proposal to convert restaurant into dwelling
The conversion of a restaurant into a dwelling house has been proposed for 1/471 Ocean Beach Rd, Umina.
The application states the building was originally a corner shop, colloquially known in the 1980s as The Halfway Shop, halfway between the beach and the town centre.
The proposal involves converting the single-storey rendered brick and weatherboard restaurant into a residential dwelling and demolishing a detached garage-shed to construct a new garage and covered rear deck.
The external appearance of the building would remain substantially the same, with only minimal changes, the application states.
A large covered deck will replace a service area at the rear, the building will be re-clad and the windows replaced to complement the streetscape while maintaining its original "corner-shop" character.
The dwelling house would include four bedrooms, and open kitchen, living and dining areas.
The proposal seeks a variation from planning provisions for front and side setbacks to retain the existing setbacks.
The application states that retaining the existing building is in the public interest, because it preserves the heritage aspect of the corner site, which has housed a shop for about 50 years.
The alternative, it is claimed, could be a two-storey development with a greater floor area, resulting in an inferior outcome for neighbouring sites and the streetscape.
The application claims that the proposal would not remove landscaping from the lot and the site includes street trees.
The application is currently on public exhibition and is open for written submissions until March 14.
SOURCE:
DA Tracker, 23 Feb 2025
DA/147/2025, Central Coast Council