A PROPOSAL to establish a $1.18 million ‘new age’ boarding house outside of the Coffs Harbour CBD area is back before Coffs Harbour City Council, following its rejection by Council earlier this year.

The development was originally lodged with Council in September, 2019, and formally rejected by Coffs Harbour City councillors in May.

The proposal involves the demolition of an existing older style fibro residential dwelling, detached shed and associated structures in Gundagai Place, off West High Street, and the construction of a two-storey new generation boarding house and a carpark area.

The small-scale boarding house is proposed to include eleven boarding rooms, with each room containing one bedroom, a full bathroom, kitchenette and a living area.

There will also be an indoor common room, a laundry room and communal open space for the use of tenants.

The boarding house proposal has been revised to include the adoption of a boarding house manager onsite and an updated Plan of Management for the facility, following Council’s refusal of the proposal due to its unacceptable impacts on the neighbourhood amenity.

The dedicated onsite manager will reside in the building with their own room, and will be responsible for the day to day operation of the boarding house and be the point of contact should any neighbourhood complaints arise.

The proposed temporary short-term accommodation housing development will accommodate a total of nineteen lodgers residing in three single occupancy rooms and eight double occupancy rooms.

The boarding house is proposed to provide low cost flexible rental accommodation to a wide range of tenants including single retirees, working single people, students, and people working in the commercial precinct area on lower wages that may not otherwise be able to afford rental accommodation in the area.

A boarding house is defined as a building that provides lodgers with a principal place of residence for three months or more, and may have shared facilities such as a communal living room, bathroom, kitchen or laundry.

Council is now being called on to review its previous decision and grant consent to the development application.

The development application can be viewed and public submissions made about the proposal on Council’s website at www.coffsharbour.nsw.gov.au until 13 October.

The development application number for the proposal is 0170/20DA, and can be searched for on Council’s DA Tracker section of its website.

 

By Emma DARBIN