<< Peninsula News 4 June 2002 - Six-storey rezoning plan for Ettalong >>

Six-storey rezoning plan for Ettalong

An application to have a precinct of the Ettalong CBD rezoned to allow up to six-storey development will be considered by Gosford Council tonight (Tuesday).

The precinct is the block adjacent to the Ettalong Beach Club, bounded by Memorial Ave, Ocean View Rd, Picnic Pde and The Esplanade.

Concept plans were submitted showing four buildings "proposed to be erected, generally at each corner of the precinct, with a central piazza public area", according to an officers' report to Council.

The plans indicated that buildings fronting The Esplanade would be five to six storeys from street level and buildings fronting Ocean View Rd would be four storeys.

Retail, commercial and recreational activities would occur on the ground floor, with up to 140 residential units and serviced apartments above.

An underground, basement-level carpark would cover the whole area.

The application was prepared by consultants Wales and Associates for the Ettalong Beach Heritage Committee and the Ettalong Beach War Memorial Club.

It was presented to Council, along with an "Ettalong Beach Centre Study" in January last year.

The application would increase the floor space ratio from 1:1 to 2:1 and change the zoning from 3(b) to 3(a) "to provide for a combination of commercial, retail and residential use".

The officers' report notes: "Part of the precinct is in a condition conducive to development, with it being used as a temporary carpark for the Club until the new resort is redeveloped, with other developments reaching the end of their economic life or vacant land."

The report stated that PlanningNSW's Living Centres Team considered that the Centre Study and rezoning need not be delayed pending preparation of an Integrated Planning Strategy (IPS) for the Peninsula.

However, the report also noted that PlanningNSW's acting regional coordinator Mr Martin Halliday had said that spot, ad hoc rezonings should not be supported without a broader strategic framework that potentially could emanate from an IPS.

The council officers' report provided information about the Ettalong Centre Study, which also recommends changes in four other adjacent precincts "to provide greater incentives for redevelopment, increase residential and commercial densities, create opportunities for niche recreational retailing and review carparking requirements".

The report also describes the Living Centres Team proposed IPS for the Peninsula, the NSW Coastal Design Guidelines discussion paper, the Urban Design Framework and the future role of Gosford CBD in relation to the planning.

"There is clearly a need for a more proactive approach to strategic planning within Ettalong Town Centre," the report stated.

"There is also a need for consistent urban design standards within the existing shopping strip and mechanisms to link key development projects within the centre.

"Community and business expectations for the future directions for the town centre highlight the need for a review of the whole centre.

"There is some difficulty, however, in undertaking a Strategic Plan without the benefit of the overall Integrated Planning Strategy for the whole of the Peninsula."

Council agenda DH.076, June 4