An old corner store at North Gosford is set to be transformed into a boarding house with a construction cost of almost $680,000.
Central Coast Council has approved a development for the corner of Henry Parry Dr and Glennie St, the site of what is now known as Thorleys Take Away.
Applicant Nido Urbano Pty Ltd will take advantage of the corner store’s reduced setbacks.
The current building will be only partially demolished and will be re-purposed with its reduced setbacks to both the northern and eastern boundaries of the block incorporated into the design for the new building.
The two-storey boarding house will have eight rooms and 12 twelve lodgers, living in three double rooms and five single rooms.
Each boarding room will be provided with kitchen facilities, laundry and ensuite bathrooms.
The applicant told council that meant that a common kitchen and laundry facility were not required.
Neither would the boarding house require a house manager, as it would house fewer than 20 people.
The home will have a communal room and communal private open space along with parking for five cars, two motorbikes and storage for two bikes.
The site has a land area of 720.8m² and is close to bus stops and adjacent to Our Lady of the Rosary Primary School.
The applicant said the proposal enabled a land use that provided a residential facility that would meet the day to day needs of the local community, especially those in the over 55’s demographic and people with disabilities who wished to downsize and remain in their local community with their established family and social networks.
The applicant said market research in the North Gosford area showed that the average “granny flat” that fell under the affordable housing State Environmental Planning Policy rented for about $360 per week which required a household earning about $62.5K per year.
The boarding house was targeting a rent of about $275 per week, which would translate to someone earning about $47K per year.
“This would fall into the low to moderate income.
“Once constructed, the property will be registered with Fair Trading as a registered boarding house,” the application said.
A local real estate agency would manage the screening process for selecting residents.
A crucial part of the screening process for applicants will involve employer’s references, previous landlords/management agencies of the applicants being contacted and asked a series of questions to determine if the applicant is a suitable tenant.
“Further, the agency will follow a strict process for handling dispute resolution between residents and liaising with neighbours and the local community.
“Conditions and house rules have been outlined relating to the operation of the boarding house and compliance with the submitted Plan of Management,” the applicant said.
“The above process is extremely important for both the agency and operator’s reputation, therefore it is in the applicant’s interest to ensure that this process is executing correctly.”
A pre-application meeting was held with Central Coast Council in June 2019.
Source:
DA 57752
DA Tracker April 21
Central Coast Council website