Port Macquarie-Hastings Council says it will start negotiations with Wauchope RSL over its planned seniors housing development.
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The matter was discussed at council's February meeting.
The project will involve, the demolition of existing dwellings and outbuildings, consolidation and boundary adjustments to create one lot and construction of seniors housing.
The DA is for 15 single storey self-care units.
Council deferred the matter after anomalies were found in car parking requirements between the Wauchope development and a Port Macquarie CBD development.
Speaking after the meeting, acting mayor Lisa Intemann said the differences between the two developments' requirements for parking was obvious.
"The Port Macquarie development, which is in the CBD, carried parking at a premium one to 30 square metres for its function room while the Wauchope RSL development was one to six square metres," she said.
"That is five times the difference. Why would there be five times the requirement in Wauchope as opposed to Port Macquarie?
"The Clarence Street DA has gone back to the developer who has advised they will look to include onsite parking.
"And we will commence negotiations with the RSL Club and front that notion of why we are charging five times as much in relation to car parking."
Addressing the public forum at the February meeting, Wauchope RSL Club representative Geraldine Haigh said the club wants to support its long term club members.
"We support approving this development," she told the public forum.
"The club notes the $133,000 parking contribution and asks council to not proceed with that.
"The units have sufficient parking to cater for the future.
"The parking demand at the club is sufficient with what is available and includes the parking arrangements with the (adjacent) Bransdon Street car park."
Director Melissa Watkins said staff had assessed the DA on its merits.
"The original DA was for 349 car parks and this was eventually scaled down to 121 along with the size of the development," she said.
Cr Intemann said there was a great contradiction on parking.
"I just see a great disparity between what we are requiring the RSL to do and what we are asking of Clarence Street (development).
"I am very inclined for us to take a new look at car parking," she said.
Cr Justin Levido suggested that the matter be deferred.
"This will enable a briefing to councillors on car parking specific to this application and generally," he said.
"It can also get advice on the historical agreement from 1967 involving the Wauchope RSL Club and council (for the overflow use of Bransdon Street car park).
"A report can be brought back to the April 2019 council meeting."
Cr Levido said he had been concerned about car parking and developments for some time.
"I'd like to have someone come and explain to use how this (car parking contributions) works," he said.
"This is all about (developers) pushing the envelope and the whole thing is a house of cards.
"The greatest drama we have is parking in the CBD.
"When the development is completed, the developer is gone but the public is left with no parking."
The matter was deferred to the April meeting where a report will be tabled.
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