Ettalong medical centre could be relocated
A medical centre at the rear of 249 Ocean View Rd, Ettalong, could be relocated to 2/255 Ocean View Rd if two development applications are approved by Central Coast Council.
The new medical centre would have six consulting rooms, two treatment rooms, a staff room, office and waiting areas.
One applications is for internal alterations to existing commercial premises at 2/255 Ocean View Rd, currently vacant but previously occupied as Kirby's retail premises.
The existing floor area would be reduced from 220.2 square metres to 214.3 square metres to improve disabled access from Ocean View Rd and to provide external waste bin storage area to the rear.
The floor space ratio for the site would be 0.65:1.
"The intention is to relocate the existing Medical Centre from nearby premises situated at the rear of 249 Ocean View Rd, corner of Picnic Parade," according to the application by Optima Planning Consultants on behalf of owner Mr Tony McPhee.
"The premises where the current medical centre is situated is the subject of a separate simultaneously submitted development application to undertake internal alterations to extend the existing pharmacy into the area occupied by the centre.
"Although the proposals have been assessed in and of themselves, it is important to acknowledge that the overall change in floor space and land use achieved further to an approval of both DAs would effectively result in no change in total commercial floorspace, no change in mix of land uses, and no change to overall traffic or trip generation or parking requirements."
The applications include minutes from a pre-lodgement meeting with council staff covering both proposals.
"All recommendations and issues raised from the meeting minutes have been actioned and addressed as detailed.
"Both proposals are permissible with consent in the B2 Local Centre zone.
"The proposal is neither large nor complex and assessment should be commensurate with the extent of works and operational scale of the completed development.
"The subject development represents a change of use to a permissible existing commercial premises and should not be categorised or assessed as 'new commercial development'."
The application extends this to argue that the three on-site parking spaces should be regarded as adequate, despite the requirement of six spaces under current planning provisions.
"Given that the operation of the existing site must have been approved by Council at some time in the past, this inherently means that Council has also approved the use of three on-street parking spaces.
"The proposal does not increase parking requirements, because the parking rate for the medical centre is identical to the parking rate for the existing retail floorspace."
A similar argument is provided in the application for the pharmacy at 249 Ocean View Rd, which provides only one carpark.
"A monetary contribution was provided in lieu of the provision of on-site parking for on-street parking as a condition of Combined Development Application 230/97.
"The contribution made was for six parking spaces ($60,000).
"As such, the site effectively provides seven parking spaces, with one on-site and six on-street.
"Council approved the current use of the site at a time when Council's parking policy also required the provision of one parking space per 40 square metres of gross floor area."
SOURCE:
DA Tracker, 17 Feb 2023
DA/154/2023 DA/156/2023, Central Coast Council