THE year 2017 is shaping up as a critical one for the future of Nelson Bay, with a Port Stephens Council Discussion Paper due to go on exhibition in February making a case for a complete relaxation of height controls in Nelson Bay town centre and surrounding ridges.
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The one thing the town retains is its unique low-rise ‘coastal village’ character, with the built form following the natural bowl set between wooded hills.
With quality low-medium rise developments, this natural asset can be preserved and promoted as a ‘unique selling point’ for Nelson Bay both as a tourist destination and as an attractive place to live and work. These points were central to the vision agreed in the 2012 Town Centre and Foreshore Strategy, and supported by independent research. The official height limit for most of the town centre has been 15 metres for many years, although some 6-storey apartment buildings up to 18 metres high have been approved, and some built.
A hard fought community consensus was reached back in 2012 that the default height limit should be 17.5 metres (5 storeys), with up to 24.5 metres (7 storeys) allowed in exceptional cases where a developer could demonstrate ‘design excellence’ and ‘strategic public benefit’.
Unfortunately this consensus was never translated into revised height limits. Now, in the draft paper adopted by council in December 2017, it is suggested that in order to attract investment, much higher buildings be allowed anywhere in an extended town centre – with 7 storeys (24.5m) as the starting point. Heights above that would be allowed if approved by a supposedly independent design panel, but with no maximum limit.
Examples are given of four sites, including the council car park at Donald St West, where redevelopment would only be commercially viable if buildings of at least 8 storeys were allowed, according to economic modelling. The same model suggests to us that the council owned Donald Street east car park site would not be ‘commercially viable’ even at 17 storeys. This invites the question – how high is the council willing to go?
The council is proposing only four weeks consultation on the Discussion Paper once it is published. Council planners will present to a General Meeting of TRRA on Tuesday, February 21 at Nelson Bay Bowling Club at 7pm. The meeting is open to the public.
