Visual impact will stun many

The Chamber of Commerce takes an extremely blinkered view of the proposed Tesrol development.

This development breaks many significant building rules as correctly pointed out by Gosford Council.

It thus creates another monstrosity which will continue the destruction of the character of Ettalong which started with the Outrigger (Mantra) Resort.

The building rules are in place for very good reason and I find it astonishing that the Chamber of Commerce so emphatically supports breaking building 'law'.

Tesrol attempts to do a deal by claiming the two to three floors which exceed rule limits as compensation for sacrificing a small area for a public laneway, about two per cent of the total building area.

The lane in fact allows them 30 percent increase in shop frontage.

If space was so important why have they not built over the lane?

What they wanted was simply an excuse to add some elevated penthouse units.

This is a multi-storey residential development with a thin veneer of commercial shop frontage on the ground floor.

These shops occupy only 29 per cent of the ground floor with most of the balance devoted to parking.

The rest of the building is parking and residential.

The building as a whole is only a fraction over four per cent commercial with 52 per cent residential and 43 per cent parking and it would appear that there is no provision for public parking.

Tesrol boasts of the stunning views its residential units would enjoy over Brisbane Water. Stunning for the few.

Unfortunately the reverse view from Broken Bay, Brisbane Water and the Bouddi Peninsula will stun the many.

It puts another nail (first being the Outrigger/Mantra Resort) in the coffin of that reverse view.

Apart from significant objections from Umina/Ettalong residents and Peninsula organisations with more than dollars at heart, this development is opposed by the Wagstaffe to Killcare Community Association on grounds headed by negative visual impact and loss of character. Among others, it is opposed by Bruce Lay, heritage architect and town planner, on the grounds also of negative visual impact and non-compliance with development controls.

Email, 10 Jun 2010 Ian Bull, Killcare