Lake House, a 1935 heritage-listed building, will present a dramatic contrast if plans are approved for a $102M development on adjacent land for 414 residential apartments and 11 retail spaces across six buildings ranging from six to nine storeys.
Now a restaurant café, Lake House was originally built as part of the Pinehurst Boarding House holiday complex but despite these development plans it will retain its prominence on the corner of The Entrance Rd and Oakland Ave as a freestanding architectural relic from the early family holiday phase of life at The Entrance.
Lake House is one of several heritage-listed sites considered in a Heritage Assessment Report accompanying a development application for the 19,294sqm site comprising 15 lots from 9-33 The Entrance Rd.
Others include the boat shed and Norfolk Island pines (10 The Entrance Rd) along the Tuggerah Lake foreshore which the report says have historical significance because of their long association to fish and fishing personalities since the establishment of the town.
Protection for an uncommon example of an inter-war bungalow at 5 Bent St, about 90m southeast of the proposed development, has also been considered along with a shop and residence at 1 Coral St, which the report says is a rare surviving example in the area of a corner shop and residence on the same lot with distinctive original features.
Another consideration was the impact on the Oakland Avenue Heritage Conservation Area where there are good examples of mid-20th century cottages and gardens built up until about 1950 and still largely intact, retaining the historical setting and character.
The Assessment Report says “the proposed development will not result in any direct or indirect adverse impacts on the significance of the heritage items in the vicinity”.
“As no works are proposed to Lake House itself, the key issue to be considered in determining any potential impacts on the heritage item are those arising from the visual impacts of the proposed development within and adjacent to 11-29 The Entrance Rd.
“These principles are based on controlling the heights and horizontal separation for new buildings adjacent to and within the visual context of the heritage item to mitigate any scale disparity that would compromise its heritage significance and setting.”
The mixed-use proposal consists of six buildings, five of which are residential and one comprising serviced apartments potentially for a hotel.
Plans include 414 residential apartments, 45 serviced apartments, 11 ground floor retail/food and beverage tenancies and a gymnasium, and 853 parking spaces across two separate excavated basements – one of which will be three level and the other two level.
The developer is seeking approval from Central Coast Council to vary the building height which is set at 28m under the Central Coast Local Environment Plan 2023.
The proposed buildings range from six to nine storeys across the project and over-reach in parts to 30.9m (a 10.36 per cent variation) and 34.15m (21.96 per cent variation).
Public feedback on the DA/619/2023 closes on Friday, June 23. It can be viewed on Council’s DA Tracker website.
Sue Murray