The $90m proposed development of 299 residential units, over three stages, proposed for 87 to 89 John Whiteway Dve, Gosford, has already been the subject of almost 30 objections.
The massive project, which was lodged with Central Coast Council in June and will be assessed by the Joint Regional Planning Panel (JRPP), is currently working its way through Council assessment. A date has not yet been set for it to be considered by the JRPP. Council’s revised 15-submission threshold for referral of a development application to a public meeting assures this project will also be scrutinised by the elected Councillors.
A redacted submission from one concerned resident said: “The huge building will stop the sunlight on our units until at least midday… “What sort of fence will be put in place next to the 60 foot drop into our property? “What about the wildlife, such as the wallabies and bush turkeys that have been residing there for decades? “When and by whom was the traffi c and parking assessment carried out? “I debate the findings of this report, as at certain times of the day, the street is so congested with cars parked on the gutters, making it very narrow, and moving cars need to give way to oncoming cars.
“The state of most of John Whiteway Dve is a disgrace, cars can’t avoid the potholes because you cannot drive around them due to cars parked near them and the risk of colliding with oncoming cars,” it said. Another submission from an owner and resident of the nearby Panorama Towers at 91 to 95 John Whiteway Dve, “A major concern is the demolition of a rock wall close to the boundary between the two sites, any disturbance to the rock wall will have a crumbling and damaging impact on the pool area and land owned by Panorama Towers.
“The proposed building development dangerously intrudes into the areas adjacent to fragile 20-metre cliffs, areas which are designated nonbuildable. “The non-buildable areas are clearly designated on title documents with precise identifying survey data, confi rmed pictorially in the Gosford LEP 2014, and explained in Part 7.3 of City centre DCP 2007, as protection for cliff faces,” it said. A resident from the Rumbalara apartments at 117 John Whiteway Dve also commented on the fragile nature of the cliffs.
“Over the past 20 years, we have experienced a number of rocks falling behind or on top of exposed Rumbalara garages. “One such fall caused us to replace the broken security fence above the clothes line area. “This and other areas of the proposed development were designated as non-buildable in what was known as JWD Precinct Plan DCP 57 and this is clearly designated on title documents.” The Rumbalara submission also raises concerns about proposed earthworks.
“Stage 1 earthworks will require considerable excavation close to our cliff face… “Due to the hardness of the sandstone, the Geotech report suggests the utilisation of a D10 bulldozer, a massive machine, possibly the largest that Caterpillar has ever built. “We therefore have concerns for the stabilisation of the rock face and for the possible effect of vibration.” Submissions also raise concerns about the proposed development’s excessive height, the strain on traffic fl ows around the CBD due to additional flows on Henry Parry Dve and Georgiana Tce, and privacy.
Source: DA54602/2018, Aug 14 Gosford DA Tracker, Central Coast Council