Shoppers inside the proposed Thirroul Plaza development could be trapped inside in the event of flood, according to report commissioned by opponents of the development.
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Developers are hoping to build an 82-apartment complex on the site of the Thirroul Plaza along Lawrence Hargrave Drive.
The proposed development would also have a ground floor commercial component, including a supermarket.
There would also be basement car parking with 361 spaces.
The development has caused a storm of protest in Thirroul, with some residents forming the Save Thirroul Village group to fight the project.
The group commissioned several reports into the development, including a flood study, an assessment of the economic impact and a traffic and parking analysis.
A study by Sydney's Martens Consulting Engineers of the flood report submitted as part of the development application found the proposal would result in "adverse flood impacts" on nearby businesses.
It also homed in on the planned use of shopfront flood gates on the ground floor commercial areas and the issue of how frequently they would be triggered.
"This will mean that anyone inside a shop during relatively frequent storms shall be 'trapped' in the shop until water levels recede and the gate is able to be deactivated," the study claimed.
"The first likely result of this is a risk that shop occupiers shall seek to deactivate the gates to prevent nuisance activation. "
Positive Traffic carried out a "peer review" of the traffic analysis lodged as part of the development application and claimed vehicle movements would create a congested Thirroul CBD.
"Given the traffic report estimates a net increase in peak hour traffic generation of 555-734 additional trips onto the network including Lawrence Hargrave Drive, the traffic demands of the proposal result in a minimum 50 per cent increase in traffic demands within the Thirroul village centre," the report stated.
It also claimed there would be a loss of 26 on-street parking spots, in part to allow the installation of traffic lights at the King Street intersection.
An economic assessment carried out by Sydney firm Urbacity claimed the traffic implications outweighed benefits of the development.
The report claimed that, at first glance, the higher density housing near a train station seemed an appropriate development for the area.
"However, the traffic management implications of these uses at this scale on this site with the major access point being King Street do not appear to be resolved in the application in favour of the wider village centre."
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