The Joint Regional Planning Panel has approved the development of a $34 million residential fl at building at 12-23 Mann St, Gosford.
The development involves construction of a 16-storey residential fl at building which will include 140 units, three levels of basement car parking and the upgrade of a pedestrian footpath along Henry Parry Dve and connecting into Georgiana Tce.
The JRPP deferred its decision on this development at its meeting on July 30 but an additional report from Gosford Council addressing the panel’s concerns appeared to assist the approval process this time. The development site has frontage to both Mann St and Henry Parry Dve and an area of 6032 square metres.
The Mann St frontage includes the former Gosford South Post Office, which is a heritage item. The proposal signifi cantly exceeds the current maximum height allowed under Gosford LEP 2014 but complies with the maximum fl oor space ratio.
Mr Leon Kmita, project manager and director of Mann Street Developments (the partnership that is developing the site) said the development application process has been a positive experience, even though it has taken over a year.
The developer took advantage of the floor space ratio incentives Gosford Council was offering at the time, he said. “The process has been long, but these developments are quite monumental for Gosford, so no one was expecting things to be turned around very quickly,” Mr Kmita said.
East Gosford architect, Cain King of CKDS Architecture was chosen to design the project, based on a recommendation of his work and the Pinnical Construction Group will be the builders.
According to Mr Kmita, the main selling points of the residential building, which will be sold off the plan, are its location with uninterrupted waterfront views.
The development will consist of 92 two-bedroom units, 15 three-bedroom units and 31 that will be a mix between one-bedroom and one-bedroom plus study. Mann Street Developments is aiming to attract investors and owneroccupiers to purchase the units.
“The plan is to sell off the plan and start a marketing campaign towards the earliest quarter of next year,” Mr Kmita said. Over the next few weeks the developer will be putting a full package of documents together required to secure a construction certificate off Gosford Council.
Depending on presales and the success of the marketing campaign, Mr Kmita said he is hopeful construction will commence before the end of 2016.
“We will be sitting down with the architect over the next couple of weeks to determine finishes that will have to be of a high quality and some effort will need to be put into the design of interiors to match views over the water and the number of nice loft apartments in the project,” he said.
Mr Kmita said he is hopeful Gosford will blossom into a hub and a destination in its own right over the decade because of the mix of commercial and residential development that is planned “I’d like to think it would be a very nice place, a good little hub for business and residential and it is only really a short drive down to the city,” he said.
Interview, Sep 21, 2015
Caine King, CKDS
Architecture
JRPP agenda,
Sep 17, 2015
DA 46272/2014
Interview, Sep 22, 2015
Leon Kmita
Mann Street
Developments
Jackie Pearson, journalist