Three homes in a North Wollongong street could be demolished to make way for a $9 million five-storey apartment block.
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Plans have been lodged with Wollongong City Council for the 19-apartment complex at 22-26 Pleasant Avenue, backing onto Stuart Park.
The apartment breakdown sees 16 three-bedroom residences, a two-bedder and two one-bedroom apartments.
Basement parking for 27 cars would be included, 23 of which would be for residents.
"It will deliver development of building design excellence as appropriate to a regional city and provides a mix of housing that is affordable (i.e. residential apartments)," the statement of environmental effects said of the complex.
"The development offers a unique building product with basement garaging and associated equitable lift access throughout. The built form is modest with respect to the variable density residential living environment and its design is responsive to local environmentally sensitive considerations such as flooding, heritage and streetscape."
At 17.3 metres, the building is taller than the 16-metre maximum for the site and a variation request has been lodged.
While the areas people will live in are below the 16-metre mark, the roof, lift and services push sections of it up to 17.2 metres.
"As the lift core and services sit in the centre of the development, it is set back from public visual access which will not be seen on street level or affected by overshadowing," the application stated.
According to a traffic study that formed part of the application, when peak hour vehicle movements from the three existing homes was factored in, the development would only put an extra seven cars on the road.
That increase "will have no noticeable impact on the surrounding residential amenity and intersection performance", the study claimed.
A report lodged as part of the development application suggests there is a "potential contamination risk" during the demolition of one of the properties as it could contain "hazardous building materials such as asbestos-containing fibre cement sheeting and lead-based paint systems, which could have cause soil contamination during the demolition work".
It recommended a contamination assessment occur before demolition.
The development application is on exhibition until November 10.
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Glen Humphries
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
