The developers behind the $80 million hotel planned for the Shell Cove marina have lodged their formal proposal with Shellharbour City Council.
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In plans now on exhibition, developers Covecom Pty Ltd have unveiled the full details of the 11-storey building which will include 117 rooms, 32 serviced apartments and 42 residential apartments.
The apartments will be located on the top three levels and the hotel rooms will be on levels two to four.
A four-level basement is proposed with a total of 342 parking spaces for the hotel, serviced apartments, residential units and the ballroom or function centre.
In the plans, the developers note that the number of car spaces provided does not comply with Shellharbour's development controls (they fall short by about 50 spaces), but say that "strict compliance for onsite parking is not required for commercially oriented land uses".
The plans also reveal that the hotel will not quite stick to the site's height limit, even though this was increased from nine to 11 storeys under the modified Shell Cove concept plan.
The hotel roof plant room and lift overruns will be 2.15m above the sites 40 metre limit, the proposal says.
During the public exhibition of the updated Concept Plan for Shell Cove, the hotel height was a major sticking point for residents who were concerned about what it would do to their views.
While Shellharbour mayor Marianne Saliba said she was not aware of the details of the proposal, she said she did not believe height would be an issue for the development.
"Under the original concept plan, the hotel was actually running horizontally along the waterfront, but it's now facing a different way, facing vertically, so it's blocking less of the view than it originally was," she said.
Cr Saliba said she was also confident that the Joint Regional Planning Panel (JRPP) - which will assess the application due to its high capital investment value - would rigorously assess the plans and make any necessary changes.
She encouraged any residents about the excess height to have their say through the planning process..
Cr Saliba said she was looking forward to having a hotel with function facilities and a large amount of rooms in the Shellharbour LGA, which currently has nothing like the Shell Cove plan.
"It's a whole new ball game for us in Shellharbour, because it means we can hold big events, conferences and functions," she said.
"This will bring business and employment opportunities."
Oscars Hotels, the hospitality group which runs the Novotel Northbeach and Towradgi Beach Hotel will own and operate the Shell Cove complex.
Late last year, before the development application was lodged, Oscars managing director Bill Gravanis, said he hoped construction would start in October 2020. He estimated this would take 18-20 months, with a view to be up and running before Christmas 2022.
In encouraging approval for the hotel in their plans, the developers said it would generate new employment opportunities and "assist with generating activity and vibrancy in the public domain".
"This complements the town centre character ... and is consistent with the preferred character anticipated for the locality according to the Modified Concept Approval," they said.
Submissions can be made on the application, through the council's website, until February 17.