Residents to make submission on foreshore proposal
The Peninsula Residents' Association will make a submission to Central Coast Council about a proposal for a five-storey two-tower development on the Ettalong foreshore at 43-36 The Esplanade.
The proposal includes 39 units, with 57 car spaces, most of which are underground.
Association committee member Mr Peter Gillis said: "The site is only 19 metres from the eroding beach at the north end of the bay.
"The five storeys will dominate and overshadow the waterfront area" and would have "some major environmental effects".
He said the applicant's own "site investigation" and geotechnical reports, which were described by the authors as "preliminary", stated that there was potentially a problem with "ground settlement below adjoining sites" due to excavation below groundwater level.
"The roadways around the site are completely parked out during daytime and tourist peak periods, and this development would only exacerbate traffic and parking problems
"The two towers will block existing views of residents to the north, and increase the local heat island effect, which already contributes an extra five degrees of heat in summer months.
"The six commercial units on the ground floor only occupy 12 per cent of the total floor area, and this seems quite minimal."
Central Coast Council agreed to a rezoning of the site from three to five storeys in 2022, despite 95 objections and a 2000-signature petition.
"That rezoning was granted contingent upon no underground parking, due to the detrimental effect it would have on the natural water flow within the sand basin, and the site proximity to the foreshore," Mr Gillis said.
"The developer has now included extensive underground car parking in a basement below sea level.
"While we welcome development of the site and improvements to the area, we consider this proposal would have an adverse effect on the environment and the amenity of the area, and would not be in our community's interest.
"The Ettalong village is already overdeveloped, with 161 units under way within one block of this proposal.
"We are encouraging residents to make a submission on this development prior to the closing exhibition date of November 8."
SOURCE:
Media release, 26 Oct 2024
Peter Gillis, Peninsula Residents' Association