A seven-storey building on a block of land that the council doesn’t believe is big enough for a dual-occupancy is among a spate of new boarding house proposals in Sutherland Shire.
Six development applications (DAs) have been lodged with Sutherland Shire Council this year, and decisions are pending in every case.
Four of the proposals are at Miranda and two, situated side by side, are at Caringbah.
Residents are outraged by a DA for 11 Urunga Parade, Miranda, consisting of a seven-storey boarding house with 37 rooms for 67 residents and a manager, plus underground parking.
The application says it will be a high quality facility in an area zoned for high density, close to the train station, Westfield shopping centre and other facilities.
There are four-storey units opposite the site and an eight-storey apartment block has received approval further along the street.
The main objection from residents, council planning staff and two councillors is the development is proposed for a block that is only 590.6 square metres in size, with front and rear boundaries of just over 16 metres and side boundaries of a little more than 38 metres.
The block is smaller than the 600 square metres minimum for dual occupancies, which the council is seeking state government approval to introduce.
In pre-DA discussions, the council told the developer the site should be consolidate with the two adjoining properties.
The developer responded this wasn’t possible, providing correspondence showing the owners had said the properties “were not for sale and never will be”.
Nearby residents have formed an action group, and are being supported by B Ward councillors Barry Collier and Jack Boyd.
The councillors addressed a meeting of about 35 residents outside the proposed development site.
Council planning staff will assess the DA before a decision is made by the Independent Planning and assessment Panel (IHAP).
Action group spokesman Kevin Judge said residents feared overcrowding and increased traffic resulting from such a development.
“The DA does not address the impact of the development on resident parking, privacy, traffic congestion and overshadowing- and will only place an extra burden on existing infrastructure,” he said.
“Of most concern is the development of a seven-story block of 37 separate dwellings on a single housing block of land.
Cr Collier said residents in this part of Miranda had already experienced enough overdevelopment from the previous council’s rezonings.
“This attempt to shoehorn a seven-storey building onto a postage-stamp-sized block of land is the last straw for them.”
Cr Boyd said he was shocked when he saw the size of the proposed development.
“Seven storeys on a block this small isn't just inappropriate, it's outrageous,” he said.
“We fought hard on council to bring back minimum lot sizes, and because of those changes you couldn't put a dual occupancy on a block this small, let alone a seven storey development,” he said.
The DA said the proposed boarding house had been “sensitively designed with respect to outlook to the neighbouring residential properties.”
“The development responds appropriately to the developing character of the surrounding location and meets a growing portion of the market that seeks more affordable rental accommodation given the housing pressures that are currently being experienced throughout the Sydney region generally,” it said.
Other boarding house DAs lodged over the last six months include:
- Caringbah: 391 and 393 Kingsway, near corner of Taren Point Road. Separate five-storey buildings, each with 33 rooms and basement parking.
- Miranda: 15 Ventura Avenue. Two to three storeys building with 12 boarding rooms and a parking area at lower ground level.
- Miranda: 158 The Boulevarde, corner of Kareena Road. Two-storey building containing nine boarding rooms.
- Miranda: 501 Kingsway, near Ventura Avenue. Three-storey building with 24 rooms and at-grade parking.
