A motion to extend the Key Iconic Site provisions of the Wyong Local Environment Plan (WLEP) 2013, will be debated when Council meets on Monday, October 8.
The key site provisions of the WLEP 2013 were intended to deliver a high standard of design excellence for certain key sites in the former Wyong Local Government Area. Amalgamation of those key sites was to be encouraged “to provide opportunities for the expansion of, and improvements to, the public domain, and provide a catalyst for the social and economic development of centres within the former Wyong Shire, whilst delivering “signifi cant public benefit to the community”.
The key site provisions included maximum height variations “if the consent authority is satisfied that a development control plan that provides for … ecologically sustainable development, green building solutions, design excellence,… encouraging sustainable transport, … the impact on, and improvements to, the public domain, environmental constraints, …the relationship between the development and neighbouring sites, and so on. The clincher was that the clause only applied to DAs made within five years of the commencement of the WLEP 2013, and that deadline expires in December. The owners of the key sites have been lobbying Central Coast Council to extend the provisions for another five years, beyond 2018. Their reasons include that the market in 2013 would not have sustained the levels of debt required to undertake the development of any of the iconic sites, but the market is much more likely to do so in the five years from 2018.
The Lakeside Plaza in The Entrance, owned by The Entrance Plaza Pty Ltd, is one of the key iconic sites that could be impacted if the provision is not extended beyond five years. The Joint Regional Planning Panel gave conceptual approval in December, 2015, for its $300m staged mixed-use redevelopment of the site, including a residential tower, hotel tower, multipurpose function space, restaurant, shopping centre and parking. A modification application (then section 96) was approved in April, 2017, but the consent provided a concept-only or masterplan approved for the redevelopment of the shopping centre site and adjoining land.
A second modification application (now section 4.55) was submitted on September 20, for inclusion of an additional stage of preliminary works (demolition) prior to the currently approved three stages. The new Stage 1A would cover demolition of the multiple existing buildings within the approved Stage 1 development area, and would be an operational consent as provided by section 4.22(2) of the Act. “The Stage 1 development is a large and complex development requiring signifi cant design work to achieve a Development Consent and subsequent Construction Certificate,” a statement of environmental effects lodged in support of the latest amendments said.
“Notwithstanding the time and cost required to achieve a DA and CC for the Stage 1 development, the first works required on site will be the demolition of the existing buildings prior to any works on utility services and basement excavations. “It is therefore proposed to acknowledge this substantial stage as an initial stage of development in its own right (Stage 1A), to be followed by the three stages of development as already approved, subject to detailed development applications for each of those three stages.
The preliminary development stage would involve the demolition of existing structures within the area including the former Mitre 10 building on Lot 30 DP10294, two existing buildings on Lots A & B DP392342, two existing buildings on Lots 33A & 33B DP438600 and an existing building on Lot 341 DP703997. “As Lots 31 and 32 DP10294 are already vacant, demolition in the order proposed allows the demolition process to be contained within a controlled area of the site, with no impact on adjoining buildings nor the public domain.
“Access to the demolition site area will be from Taylor St and all materials from the demolition will be sorted on site for appropriate recycling or disposal. “While demolition material will be recycled as far as practicable, disposal where necessary will only occur to an authorised landfill facility.” Wyong Regional Chronicle will be looking at the development status of other iconic sites in future editions.
Source: Agenda item 6.7, Oct 8 Central Coast Council ordinary meeting DA1080/2014/B. Oct Wyong DA Tracker, Central Coast Council