Developers have resubmitted a plan to build dozens of villas and townhouses on a narrow wedge of land next to the freeway at Dapto after it was knocked back by Wollongong City Council earlier this year.
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Originally, a cluster of 22 two-storey townhouses and 13 villas was planned for the Mulda Street development but was rejected due to conflict with the fig trees and grey-headed flying foxes which occupy the site.
Additionally, planners were concerned about the fragmentation of open space on the long, triangular site and said the proposed parking configurations, which included 61 spaces, would result in ‘‘unsafe vehicle manoeuvring’’.
The development, which is close to Dapto Showground and about 300metres from Dapto Mall, was referred to the council’s Independent Hearing and Assessment Panel (IHAP) in April, and subsequently knocked back.
However, this month Nadine Page from TCG Planning has asked the council for a review of the decision under a section of the NSW Environment and Planning Act, saying the development had been adjusted to address the council’s concerns.
Under the new proposal, there would be 21 townhouses and 13 villas, as well as two fewer car spaces and an extra portion of communal open space. Four of the townhouses would be moved away from the problematic fig trees, allowing the townhouses to gain adequate sunlight and removing the issue of bat droppings, the plans said.
In an urban design assessment submitted with the amended plans, consulting firm Urbis said it believed the development was appropriate to the urban context, site location and to the site proportions. ‘‘As an infill, the development proposes a good use of land in close proximity to the Dapto Centre, transport and other suburban services,’’ the firm’s associate director Jennifer Calzani wrote in a letter to the developers.
The new plans will be on exhibition through the council’s website until July 8.