A planning proposal that will see land at Chain Valley Bay rezoned from E2 and E3 to E2 and R2 Low Density Residential, was endorsed by Central Coast Council Administrator, Mr Ian Reynolds, at the April 26 Council meeting.
Mr Reynolds recommended that Council forward the planning proposal to the NSW Minister for Planning requesting a gateway determination.
The subject 16-hectare site comprises a single dwelling and shed, and is located south of Mulloway Rd, bound to the south by Karignan Creek, which flows into Lake Macquarie.
The Planning Proposal seeks to amend Wyong Local Environmental Plan 2013 (WLEP 2013) to rezone the site and any road reserves, from E3 Environmental Management to R2 Low Density Residential, and amend the minimum lot size to 450 square metres.
According to a report to Mr Reynolds: “The original concept plan submitted with the request, proposes an indicative lot yield of 174 lots, with the standard lot size ranging from 450 square metres to 580 square metres, and corner allotments from 700 to 812 square metres.
“Following a site inspection undertaken on February 17 … it has been identified that the site is heavily constrained by existing vegetation.
“Some parts of the site qualify as an Endangered Ecological Community (EEC), and those areas which, whilst not identified as an EEC, still provide potential habitat for a wide range of threatened flora and fauna, and form part of a local wildlife corridor which provides a transition of vegetation types from the riparian area of Karignan Creek to the drier vegetation in the Lake Macquarie State Conservation Area, located north of the site.
“The original Concept Plan for the redevelopment of the site did not consider the environmental value of the land.
“This Concept Plan would allow for 174 residential lots, and if built, would result in an overdevelopment of the site that would adversely impact on the environmental values of the land and the existing wildlife corridor.
“The applicant was advised on March 14, that this concept could not be supported.
“In response, a revised concept plan was lodged with Council on March 15.
“This concept plan introduces a corridor through the central portion of the site and reduces the potential lot yield from 174 lots to 102 lots, with the standard lot size ranging from 450 to 1,200 square metres and corner allotments from 617 to 830.
“The inclusion of the proposed wildlife corridor represents an improvement to the original concept, however the location, extent and functionality of the proposed corridor requires further investigation to validate its appropriateness.
“This investigation can occur post Gateway Determination.
“The request to amend WLEP 2013 has been informed by preliminary studies relating to site ecology, land contamination, bushfire, Aboriginal Cultural Heritage and traffic.
“This information has been considered against Council’s strategic planning and relevant urban, environmental, infrastructure and social planning considerations.
“The outcome of Council’s assessment is that there is sufficient high level strategic justification for Council to prepare a Planning Proposal to issue to the Department of Planning and Environment (DP&E) to seek a Gateway Determination.
“It is considered that based on the information and studies provided, that a rezoning of the site, as now proposed, would achieve Council’s strategic vision for the site as a residential development precinct.
“However, it is acknowledged that the following investigative studies would be required post Gateway Determination: targeted searches and/or trapping for squirrel gliders, spotted tail quolls, koalas, large forest owls, Glossy Black-Cockatoo, Wallum Froglet; expansion of the microbat surveys beyond the farm dam, cryptic orchid species and Tetratheca juncea; a connectivity assessment of the local corridor links; a revision of the bushfire assessment to reflect retained vegetation on the site; an Aboriginal Heritage Assessment which complies with the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) requirements; determination of the presence or absence of potential or actual acid sulfate soils; general soil investigations; and, site specific flooding assessments.
“It is also likely that in order to address matters relevant to the site, a site specific chapter of Development Control Plan (DCP) 2013 and a Voluntary Planning Agreement (VPA) may be required.
“The preliminary assessment identifies that the southern portion of the subject site qualifies as Swamp Sclerophyll Forest on Coastal Floodplains Endangered Ecological Community (EEC) and comprises approximately 3.54 hectares of the overall site area.
“This community is also recognised as an Endangered Wetland Community (EWC) and subject to additional buffer requirements under the NSW Department of Primary Industries (Water) Guidelines for Controlled Activities.
“The remainder of the site is comprised of cleared paddocks (approximately 3.58ha) and vegetation consistent with the Narrabeen Doyalson Coastal Woodland (approximately 9.52ha),” the report to Mr Reynolds said.
Source:
Agenda item 2.8, Apr 26
Central Coast Council ordinary meeting