It was standing room only when more than 150 residents attended a public meeting on April 7 to consider the implications of two development applications for multi-level senior housing at the former Colonial Ridge Resort site in Salamander Bay's Fleet Street.
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The meeting, hosted by the Salamander Bay Community Group at Soldiers Point Bowling Club, heard from three speakers on how they believed the proposal would impact on the amenity and the environment.
The key concern, according to group spokesperson Colin Howard, was the issue around Port Stephens Council's LEP (Local Environment Plan), which limits the height of buildings in a residential area to 9m above ground level equating to a three-storey building.
But a representative for the developer, architect Warwick Lindsay, said that the proponents, who propose to build the seniors apartments on the 15-acre (6-hectares) site in stages, would be abiding by all planning regulations.
"We met with the state design review committee and we agreed to drop the building height down to make this [development] work," Mr Lindsay said.
"All we want is the best for the residents of Port Stephens, we have agreed to use solar energy, recycled water on site and a first class development. This is our third go."
The applicant, Salamander Bay Projects, has two development applications currently before Port Stephens Council - the first application for 30 units estimated at $11.5 million, and a second for 69 units at $16.1 million. Included in the costs are landscaping, demolition and earth works on the former Fleet Street caravan park site.
Mr Howard said that there was concern expressed at the public meeting over the amount of excavating below the surface of the land, the proposed seven-storey high buildings and the removal of material due to excavation from the site.
"We estimate that 7000 trucks will be required to undertake this phase of the development ... these trucks will have to transit through local streets and our shopping village to their final destination," he said.
Mr Howard said that included in the presentation was a slide showing how the hill at Fleet Street would most likely be removed to make way for the apartment blocks.
In October last year, a council spokesperson said that DAs received for seniors housing under the State Environmental Planning Policy "will be assessed on their merits".
"The future demand or need for this development type is market driven. As both the Fleet Street DAs had proposed variations to the 9m height limit, they would be reported to council for determination."
