Three of the major developments that have already been approved in the Gosford CBD are progressing well, according to Mr Cain King from CKDS Architecture.
Mr King is the East Gosford-based architect behind the massive triple-tower Waterside development at 50 to 70 Mann St, Mr John Singleton’s Bonython development on the site of Dutton’s Hotel in Mann St, and the Pinnacle development behind the Telstra building at 27 Mann St.
The applicant for the Waterside development is the New Hong Kong Macau Australian Pty Ltd. Upon completion, the three-tower development will occupy a substantial portion of the CBD block bounded by Georgiana Tce, Mann St, Donnison St and Baker St, including the controversial Froggy’s site. It will include retail, commercial, residential, cinemas, restaurants and a hotel, along with up to fi ve levels of parking. The first of the three Waterside towers to be constructed is likely to be on the corner of Baker Street and Georgiana Tce, Mr King said. “It will have the most impact as it will be seen when entering Gosford,” Mr King said. “The most prominent development, the largest tower, will be built fi rst to fill in the hole and be the welcome to the city,” he said. The first of the three towers will include 23 storeys of residential units, a four-storey hotel and four levels of parking. “We have only had the DA for just over six months, so it is still in its infancy,” he said.
According to the letter of consent sent to the applicant by Gosford Council in December, the consent will lapse on December 18, 2017. “For a large part of the last working year, most of our time and resources has gone into seeing if the regional performing arts centre would fi t within the development framework for the [former] Gosford Council.” According to Mr King, a performing arts centre could, conceptually, have been housed within the Waterside development but not within a $30 million budget, which was the total amount pledged by Gosford Council, the NSW Government and Commonwealth Government.
To deliver the council’s requirements within the $30 million budget would have resulted in “compromise” that would not have been in the best interests of the performing arts community or the development, Mr King said. The work was completed just before the dismissal of Gosford Council in May. “It was a good review, but the client has had to go ahead alone. “It was the good exercise of a good opportunity and the bigger picture was the performing arts centre would have had a home,” he said.
The work done to attempt to integrate a performing arts centre did take time and resources, but Mr King is confi dent of the development’s progress. “It would have been beautiful and the client did want to go ahead but we could not get the budget to line up with the overall staging of the project and it must be remembered that this development is 500 units, so it has to be done in stages. “It would not be good for anyone, for the whole precinct, if the staging was not well managed,” he said. In terms of immediate priorities for the project, Mr King said he is working with the client to come up with a different construction system for the building facades as a way to reduce costs but deliver the same design quality. This may result in the developer needing to lodge a Section 96 application with the council. Examining ways to deliver a high level of ground fl oor activation for the fi rst tower is another current priority.
Now that work has concluded on attempting to integrate a performing arts facility, demolition is back on the agenda. “We are looking at whether to demolish the lot or half or do it in stages and what opportunities staging the demolition would provide for site usage.” Mr King said he understood that there was a level of community impatience about the Waterside development because the site had been an eyesore for so long, but re-stated that the developer remained committed to commencing work on the site within two years from DA approval.
“For the owners, it is still at a point where a large development has been transferred from an idea into a building. “The worst thing we could have is a half-built building in Gosford, so there needs to be careful due diligence with this construction to get the staging right,” he said. Mr King said the Pinnacle complex is just about ready for off-the-plan sales. He said there would be news on the next steps for the Singleton development by the end of July.
Interview, Jul 13, 2016 Cain King, CKDS Architecture Jackie Pearson, journalist