Another major development on the edge of Gosford’s city centre, worth around $9.5 million, was approved at Council’s Tuesday, May 12 general meeting.
The six storey mixed use development, comprising a ground floor restaurant, 28 residential units and a basement car parking level, will be built on Masons Pde at Point Frederick.
This development also took advantage of Council’s incentive that offers a bonus 30 percent increase in floor space and building height to eligible applicants.
Since December 2014, around $90 million worth of development, including almost 400 residential units, has now been approved by Council for Gosford’s city centre area.
The proposed mixed development is DA47055/2015 and was defined as a planning matter covered by the Local Government Act 1993 and the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979.
As Gosford Council is the consent authority for the go ahead of the development, the consent is given for a period of two years.
A Point Frederick resident who lives close to the proposed development, spoke against it at the meeting. She questioned whether the current height restrictions, even with the additional 30 percent allowed by Council for buildings within the Gosford CBD footprint, would be broken by the proposed development.
The resident stated that she believed the development would be completely out of context with the low levels of existing surrounding buildings.
Council officers confirmed, at the meeting, that the development application did comply with current height restrictions.
The resident also expressed concerns about the potential for flooding of the building, and surrounding buildings, due to run off.
Again, council staff clarified that the design in the current DA contained a “lip” to prevent flooding or storm water from entering the building’s basement.
Vegetation has overgrown a nearby drainage channel, which will require further council maintenance and work.
The engineers working on the development have also designed a pump out system in the event of flooding, staff informed councillors.
Email, 12 May 2015
Gosford Council media
Minutes, 12 May 2015
Gosford Council, ordinary
general meeting
Meeting notes,
12 May 2015
Jackie Pearson, journalist