The Land and Environment Court has consented to a new home on the waterfront at Wamberal Beach that does not rely on a seawall for protection during a coastal erosion event.
The home would be built on piles.
Above an adopted scour (erosion) level, the piles would support the loads of the structure plus the impacts of wave, debris and a collapsing sand dune during or following storm erosion.
The development application from Vicary Pty Ltd for a home at 75 Ocean View Drive, Wamberal, went to the LEC as a deemed refusal by Central Coast Council.
Council put the proposal on public exhibition in December 2023 but had not made a decision within the recommended period.
The LEC arranged a conciliation conference, held in December 2024, at which the parties reached agreement.
The LEC has now granted consent to the development application subject to conditions including a maximum building height of 8.5m.
The Statement of Environmental Effects said the three-storey proposal has been designed in response to the site’s location, setting and topography, including coastal hazards and the nature of development along the Wamberal beachfront.
The LEC needs to reset its thinking. Its decisions must be based on an outdated precedent.
this edition has great news.
That’ll test the dune, a break in the seawall no matter how small will let the sea in when it gets angry again, smart move by the LEC, lotsa bright public servants, they must have happy.