John Northcott, Mullumbimby
The proposed development of 27–29 Station Street, Mullumbimby will have a negative impact on the built environment and is unacceptable in terms of its streetscape presentation due to bulk, scale and privacy issues.
The applicant has not provided an adequate level of amenity to adjoining properties along the northern and southern boundaries. A site-responsive design has not been applied in order to reduce height, bulk and privacy issues of this proposed development.
The proposed development is inconsistent with the predominant built form of the surrounding residential area, which is characterised by low-scale detached dwelling houses. Detached houses dominate the existing residential fabric of Mullumbimby by maintaining a scale and height that is compatible with the surrounding bulk form that retains the integrity of this historic town.
Due to the excessive bulk and allotment orientation the proposed development will have a significant adverse impact on the amenity of Nos 25 and 31 Station Street, via overshadowing and overlooking from the elevated verandas, balconies and windows of major habitable rooms.
The principle objectives with development is providing designed controls and setting reasonable environmental standards for solar access, overshading, bulk, scale, overlooking, and loss of privacy, visual impact and landscaping. This has not been achieved. To give residents an indication of the height of the proposed development we have erected an 8.6-metre pole along the southern boundary of 25 Station Street.
The applicant stated public interest not applicable due to the innocuous and complying nature of this land use and the fact it is in keeping with recent medium-density development pattern. However, this was not supported by council’s planning department.
The public interest, in particular, the local public interest would not be served by this development. The extent and degree of this overbearing and ugly proposed development should be considered sufficient to warrant refusal by council.
