A development application is before Wollongong City Council for 28 George St Thirroul, seeking to demolish the house, remove trees, and build a two-storey block of five townhouses.

But a contentious proposal to use “stacked” parking – two townhouses parking behind each other in a single-width garage – has raised concerns with planners, and fears among neighbours that it will cause more congestion on the street.

Notes from pre-lodgement meetings with council planning officers show the developer being warned the plan would be unlikely to win approval.

The stacked parking was “considered an overdevelopment with limited amenity outcomes for future occupants”, the notes said.

“This arrangement is not supported for new development. Parking should be in a double garage.

“The applicant should consider a smaller development as  a more reasonable opportunity ... and in doing so will negate the likely variation requests to council's controls which are unlikely to be supported.”

The Thirroul Village Committee has written to residents that a neighbour would be completely in shade by 3pm, and “we don’t believe this style of building fits with the character of the area”.

In its statement of environmental effects (SEE), the developer claims the existing Thirroul roads have sufficient capacity to handle a “minor” increase in traffic.

“The proposed development will have minimal adverse impact on existing traffic volumes within the local road network,” it says.

“Notwithstanding this, all nearby local and collector roads are believed to be constructed with sufficient capacity to appropriately accommodate a minor increase in vehicle movements.”

The development does not comply with setback rules on side – instead of the 1.5m landscaping between a driveway and the neighbouring property, a landscaped area only 394mm wide is proposed on the eastern side.

The developer’s SEE says the plan “is compatible with existing development in the locality and is also consistent with the desired future character of the Thirroul area”.