DA2021/0744 – 50 Lawrence St Freshwater

For those that are concerned about the proposed development at 50 Lawrence St noted as DA2021/0744 – 50 Lawrence St Freshwater

You have a chance to make a submission on the link above for or against this development ( submissions close this Friday 9/7/2021 )

Here is a summary of the Friends of Freshwater assessment of this proposed development.

• The proposed 4 storeys and >11m height exceeds the LEP limits of 3 storeys and 11m.
• Non-compliant with the DCP landscaped area requirement. 25% of the site required.
• The residential component of the proposal dominates the site. This is inconsistent with the land use B2 zoning which requires the provision of a range of retail, business, entertainment and community uses that serve the needs of people who live in, work in and visit the local area. A development disproportionately comprising 70m2 allocated to commercial use and 900m2 allocated to residential use cannot achieve the intended outcomes of the B2 zoning.
• The sheer bulk of the building continues to overshadow the neighbouring residential property to the south.
• The proposed development is totally out of character with the heritage buildings to its north and the Freshwater Village in general.
• The proposed on-site parking allocation is short of the DCP parking requirement with 19 being required. Given the paucity of parking in Lawrence Street and surrounding streets there is no leeway for parking concessions
• The addition of an extra access driveway in Dowling Street contravenes the intent of the Freshwater DCP to improve pedestrian safety in the Village.
• The proposal requires the removal/relocation of the accessible 167 bus stop in Dowling Street, adversely impacting public transport access for able bodied and disabled public transport commuters to the commercial centre of Freshwater.
• This is basically an application for an apartment building masquerading as a shop top development with the shop area being minimised to accommodate more apartments.  This was done by both reducing both the ceiling height and size of the two shops.